Home
Menu
events
Lounges
About
Contact

Caribsea

North Carolina has a reputation of being the Graveyard of the Atlantic. There are estimates approaching 3,000 shipwrecks around the islands, going back to the first English settlements in America.

We’re a little fond of one of those 3,000 “stories.” Her name is Caribsea. 

CARGO STEAMER

Fast Facts

NAME /// Caribsea
COMPLETED /// 1919 - McDougall-Duluth Shipbuilding Co., Duluth MN
OWNER /// Stockard Steamship Co., New York
TYPE /// Steam merchant
TONNAGE /// 2609
HOMEPORT /// New York
ROUTE /// Santiago de Cuba (5 Mar) – Norfolk, Virginia - Baltimore, Maryland
DATE OF ATTACK /// 11 March 1942
CARGO /// 3600 tons of manganese ore
COMPLEMENT /// 28 (21 dead and 7 survivors)
Completed in November 1919 at McDougall-Duluth Shipbuilding Co., Duluth, MN, the Caribsea originally took to the water for U.S. Shipping Board, Washington, D.C., as the Lake Flattery. Three years later she was renamed Buenaventura for Panama Rail Road Co. Inc., and in 1940 received her final name when she was sold to Stockard SS Co. of New York.
Classified as an ocean-going cargo ship, Caribsea was one of fifteen identical Laker-style steamships and had a capacity of 2,609 tons. On her last journey, she was carrying 3,600 tons of ore, a thousand tons more than her stated maximum. Did this extra weight cause the Caribsea to sink so quickly that there was no time to launch lifeboats, damning everyone who was not on deck to go down with the ship?

TORPEDO ATTACK

Wednesday, March 11, 1942

Early in the morning of Wednesday, March 11, 1942, the Caribsea was steaming up the North Carolina coast on her way to Norfolk, VA, from Santiago, Cuba, with a full cargo of highly combustible manganese ore in her cargo holds. At the Navy’s request, Master Nicholas Manolis had reduced the ship’s speed to four knots so that the freighter would approach Cape Hatteras, where U-boats were known to be active, after daylight.
Suddenly, about 11 miles east of the Cape Lookout Lighthouse, the ship was struck on the starboard side at #2 hold by a torpedo fired from U-158, under the command of Kapitänleutnant Erwin Rostin.
Weighted by her heavy cargo, the Caribsea rapidly settled by her head and then was shaken by a boiler explosion.
Three minutes later, only the masts were still visible. The 28 men on board had no time to send distress signals or launch lifeboats, and only the seven men on deck or in the wheelhouse managed to climb onto two rafts that had floated free. Later, they watched the U-boat that had sunk their ship passing within 100 yards.
After ten hours in the water, the survivors managed to attract the attention of a passing freighter, the Norlindo, which picked up the two officers and five crewmen and took them to safety at Cape Henry.
RIGHT: JIM GASKILL /// ABOVE: PAMLICO INN,
JIM BAUGHM GASKILL’S BIRTHPLACE

Seaman Jim Baugham Gaskill

The story that follows might be true . . . or it might not be. But in either case, it makes for a good story!
In mid-March 1942, a rectangular object washed up on the sand at the south end of Ocracoke Island, North Carolina. Chris Gaskill paused in his Saturday stroll along the beach to pick up the object and examine it. To his puzzlement, and then concern, he saw that it was his cousin Jim Baugham Gaskill’s third mate’s license. Truncating his walk, Chris returned to the village and notified Jim’s family and the Coast Guard of his find.
The next day, an employee at the Pamlico Inn, which had been owned and managed by Jim Gaskell’s father, Bill, noticed a floating piece of wreckage banging against the inn’s pier. The timber was fished from the water and revealed whence it came: on it was etched the name “SS Caribsea.”
Now Jim Baugham Gaskill’s family and friends knew for certain his tragic fate.

CLOSE TO HOME

WWI and WWII off the Coast of North Carolina

From January through July of 1942, German U-boats sank ships off the American east coast with relative impunity. This American Theatre of World War II was the closest area of conflict to the continental United States. Shipping lanes in the Gulf Stream made for easy targets.

THE WRECK

Since her sinking in the early years of World War II, the Caribsea has been settled on a flat, sandy plain on the continental shelf, 90 feet below the Atlantic swells, her bow pointing south toward Cuba.
Through the course of the decades, the weight of the windlass has collapsed the metal decks, which have become thin and rotten. The starboard anchor has fallen to the sand, and the port anchor has been buried by debris.
Schools of spadefish, baitfish, mackerel, and amberjacks swim through her disintegrating frame, stingray and cobia nose around her barnacled boilers and bollards, while sand tiger sharks patrol above.

Multispectral Imagery

Dive of the Caribsea Site

No matter the time of day, no matter the season - the Crystal Coast is a sight to behold. 🐚

View

Sep 29

Open
No matter the time of day, no matter the season - the Crystal Coast is a sight to behold. 🐚

Your next best meal is just a reservation away. 🐟 Book a table in our dining area or on the rooftop. Either way, we guarantee an elevated and memorable dining experience.

Reservations at caribsearestaurant.com

View

Sep 25

Open
Your next best meal is just a reservation away. 🐟 Book a table in our dining area or on the rooftop. Either way, we guarantee an elevated and memorable dining experience. Reservations at caribsearestaurant.com

🍷Tickets for our Italian Wine Dinner on October 2nd are selling quickly. Reserve your seat before it`s too late.

Call (252) 424-8400 or email micdoto@yahoo.com to book.

View

Sep 22

Open
🍷Tickets for our Italian Wine Dinner on October 2nd are selling quickly. Reserve your seat before it's too late. Call (252) 424-8400 or email micdoto@yahoo.com to book.

Dig in. 🍽️

Emerald Isle Fine Dining | caribsearestaurant.com

View

Sep 20

Open
Dig in. 🍽️ Emerald Isle Fine Dining | caribsearestaurant.com

Fresh. Light. Vibrant. 🌱
Start your meal off with a salad worth savoring. Our menu is designed to indulge the tastebuds and satisfy your cravings. Give our Arugula Salad a try for dinner this evening.

Reservations at caribsearestaurant.com

View

Sep 18

Open
Fresh. Light. Vibrant. 🌱 Start your meal off with a salad worth savoring. Our menu is designed to indulge the tastebuds and satisfy your cravings. Give our Arugula Salad a try for dinner this evening. Reservations at caribsearestaurant.com

The destruction of enemy shipping by German U-boats was a spectacular feature of both World Wars I and II. The commander of U-boat 158 distinguished himself on his very first war patrol, when he sank five ships. The fourth ship that he sank — and the first U.S. vessel — was the Caribsea.

On June 29, 1942, in waters SSW of Bermuda, U-158 sank the Latvian steamer Everalda and captured several confidential documents, information from which Rostin reported to the BdU via lengthy wireless signals. Picking up these signals, Allied stations were able to pinpoint the position of the U-boat.

In the afternoon of June 30, a PBM-3C Mariner flying boat (pilot Lt. Richard E. Schreder) on anti-submarine patrol from Bermuda surprised the U-boat on the surface by diving out of the sun and dropping two depth charges that detonated directly underneath the stern. U-158 sank immediately, and with her all 54 crew plus the captain of the Everalda and another prisoner were lost.

Learn more about our history at caribsearestaurant.com ⚓️

#emeraldislenc #emeraldisle #northcarolina #emeraldislenorthcarolina #visitnorthcarolina #visitnc #nc #eastcoast #emeraldislebeach #eastcoast #northcarolinacoast #foodiesofinstagram #cocktails #emeraldislerestaurant #seafood #coastalcuisine #islandliving #nccoast #northcarolinabeaches #crystalcoast

View

Sep 15

Open
The destruction of enemy shipping by German U-boats was a spectacular feature of both World Wars I and II. The commander of U-boat 158 distinguished himself on his very first war patrol, when he sank five ships. The fourth ship that he sank — and the first U.S. vessel — was the Caribsea. On June 29, 1942, in waters SSW of Bermuda, U-158 sank the Latvian steamer Everalda and captured several confidential documents, information from which Rostin reported to the BdU via lengthy wireless signals. Picking up these signals, Allied stations were able to pinpoint the position of the U-boat. In the afternoon of June 30, a PBM-3C Mariner flying boat (pilot Lt. Richard E. Schreder) on anti-submarine patrol from Bermuda surprised the U-boat on the surface by diving out of the sun and dropping two depth charges that detonated directly underneath the stern. U-158 sank immediately, and with her all 54 crew plus the captain of the Everalda and another prisoner were lost. Learn more about our history at caribsearestaurant.com ⚓️ #emeraldislenc #emeraldisle #northcarolina #emeraldislenorthcarolina #visitnorthcarolina #visitnc #nc #eastcoast #emeraldislebeach #eastcoast #northcarolinacoast #foodiesofinstagram #cocktails #emeraldislerestaurant #seafood #coastalcuisine #islandliving #nccoast #northcarolinabeaches #crystalcoast

Food as art. We believe in creating dishes that please the eyes and the appetite. Our seasonal menu is packed with flavor, texture, and color. Whether you`re looking to try something new or are in the mood for a classic, book a seat at our table. caribsearestaurant.com 🍽️

#emeraldislenc #emeraldisle #northcarolina #emeraldislenorthcarolina #visitnorthcarolina #visitnc #nc #eastcoast #emeraldislebeach #eastcoast #northcarolinacoast #foodiesofinstagram #cocktails #emeraldislerestaurant #seafood #coastalcuisine #islandliving #nccoast #northcarolinabeaches #crystalcoast

View

Sep 13

Open
Food as art. We believe in creating dishes that please the eyes and the appetite. Our seasonal menu is packed with flavor, texture, and color. Whether you're looking to try something new or are in the mood for a classic, book a seat at our table. caribsearestaurant.com 🍽️ #emeraldislenc #emeraldisle #northcarolina #emeraldislenorthcarolina #visitnorthcarolina #visitnc #nc #eastcoast #emeraldislebeach #eastcoast #northcarolinacoast #foodiesofinstagram #cocktails #emeraldislerestaurant #seafood #coastalcuisine #islandliving #nccoast #northcarolinabeaches #crystalcoast

Contact INFO

8921 Crew Drive
Emerald Isle, NC 28594 (252) 424-8400

Hours

Monday - Thursday
4:30pm – 9pm
Friday - Saturday
4:30pm – 10pm
Sunday
Closed

Reservations

Book a Table
Lounge Reservations
© 2023

Site Credit // SouthMade