The Loss of the Stormy Petrel
A documentary on the Lost Colony or the Roanoke Colony, that I unfortunately didn’t get to watch due to needing to get some sleep before going back to work, had a scene where the investigators were traveling aboard the Stormy Petrel II. The Stormy Petrel II is a charter boat out of of Hatteras Village on the Outer Banks of North Carolina.
The name, Stormy Petrel, was familiar to me. A quick Internet search confirmed my recollection that the Stormy Petrel was a Confederate blockade runner during the American Civil War that was ran aground off of Wilmington, North Carolina during an attempt at running the naval blockade that was squeezing the life out of the Confederate States of America.
Frankly, I don’t know how many Americans realize the role that the blockade of Confederate ports by the United States Navy played in defeating the Confederacy. I remember the blockade being mentioned in my high school United States history text. I was already a student of the American Civil War before taking the class. During my senior year of high school, I started working as a tour guide at Fort Fisher State Historic Site. So I knew perhaps a bit more about the importance of the war’s ever-tightening blockade of Confederate ports than the typical American high school student.
Below is a link to the Running the Blockade: A Civil War Naval Blog post about the end of the Stormy Petrel, a link to the Stormy Petrel II Fishing and Cruises website, and a link to a webpage by the National Audubon Society devoted to the “Stormy Petrel” entry in John J. Audubon's Birds of America.
The blog is devoted to:
All things dealing with the Civil War Navies and actions along the coasts and rivers and against forts. Emphasis will be placed on Fort Fisher and all operations around Wilmington, NC. And, of course, the Blockade and Running the Blockade.
Stormy Petrel II offers fishing charters to the Gulf Stream or closer to shore, birding/nature/sightseeing charters, and even charters where a loved one’s ashes can be scattered at sea. While I have no firsthand experience with the captain or his craft, it certainly looked like a really nice boat and it might be worth your consideration if you’re vacationing on the Outer Banks.
The National Audubon Society is a no-brainer as a useful resource for those interested in birds and birding.
“Blockade-Runner Stormy Petrel Run Ashore Off Wilmington”
“Stormy Petrel II Fishing and Cruises Hatteras, NC”
“Plate 270 Stormy Petrel”
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