by Kala Ambrose
When World War II ended, the ship was sent to inactive reserve in 1947 in New Jersey. In 1958, it was announced that the ship would be sent to the scrap heap to be torn apart and the metal recycled. Citizens of North Carolina formed a group called SOS (Save Our Ship) and raised the money to purchase the ship and bring it home to Wilmington.
Five sailors died aboard the USS North Carolina when a Japanese torpedo hit the ship’s hull in 1942. Five other men have died aboard the ship due to other circumstances. The ghosts appear in many parts of the ship including the kitchen area.
In 1962, the USS North Carolina was delivered to the state of North Carolina and dedicated as a memorial to all World War II veterans and those who died in the war.
As I took in the emotional energy resonating from the ship, I compared it to other naval ships I have been on, and I found the North Carolina to be quite different in feeling. I’ve been on several naval ships, including going on a Tiger cruise, where family and friends are invited to cruise on a naval ship as it returns from a deployment, so I’m familiar with the look and feel of a ship. I’ve stepped through my share of bulkheads to enter rooms, and I appreciate the tremendous amount of thought and planning that goes into building a ship to house so many sailors in one confined space.
As I walked through the ship, I noticed that there were certainly pockets that felt sad (the brig area being a strong one) and a couple of areas that felt very creepy, but overall, the ship bursts with pride. It rings from the walls, and I think the veterans and tourists who visit the ship each day reinforce this energy, building it to even greater levels.
For the most part, according to the history, the men on the ship got along very well and were as happy as men can be when involved in war-time activity. But there was one man aboard that ship who appears as if he has never been happy, and he continues to haunt the ship until this day. I felt his presence on the ship after only being there for a few minutes. If he was a sailor on the North Carolina during the war, I feel that he caused trouble and mayhem aboard the ship as often as he could. I encountered him during my visit to the North Carolina, and I’m not sure that he is a ghost. I think instead that he may be a malevolent spirit that has attached itself to the ship.
At one point during my tour, I sensed the presence of another ghost, and I began to track it around the ship. I encountered stepping into cold spots, following the sound of footsteps where no one was walking, and overhearing a bit of conversation near the mess hall. I became a psychic detective, using my internal radar to guide me to the energy as it would grow and then disappear. Near the ship’s galley, I saw a shadowy mist begin to appear. I quickly reached for my camera to snap a picture.
Before I could take the photo, the entire camera shut down, and the brand-new batteries that I had loaded that morning were completely drained. I always travel with extra batteries; as any paranormal researcher can tell you, it is a frequent occurrence when ghosts are near that the batteries in all types of electronic equipment will be drained. This ghost that had appeared, though, was not the dark presence I had felt earlier on the ship, as he did not emit the intense feeling of dread that I had detected earlier with the malevolent spirit. He appeared to be involved in his daily activities and seemed more interested in getting lunch from the galley area than anything else.
The ship itself makes it difficult to take photos that could realistically be used as evidence of paranormal activity. Besides the fact that the ship is mostly metal and the flash from the camera bounces everywhere, many of the displays on the ship are behind glass, which also makes it difficult to take pictures without light of some kind bouncing off the glass and metal and creating the effect of orbs and other anomalies that could be misconstrued as supernatural in nature. I loaded new batteries in my camera but decided that it was time to put the gadgets away and use the best tool I have—my psychic sense. I continued through the ship for about a half hour after that, no longer sensing the ghostly presence. The ship has been wonderfully restored, and it was a pleasure just to take the self-guided tour of this living legend.
Just as I was about to wrap things up and head for the exit, the angry spirit appeared. I was standing by some stairs when I noticed someone looking at me.
The only way I know to describe him to you is that he was intense, forbidding, and not at all interested in conversation. Reports from various paranormal investigators and researchers have said that the man they encountered offered his name and, at times, his rank. The being that I encountered was not in the mood to talk, and though he startled me at first, I soon realized that he wasn’t particularly interested in me at that moment, unless he thought I would be interfering with his activities. He was not the ghost I had seen materializing near the mess hall; that presence had been fun to follow around the ship. He was pleasant enough and simply engaged in his daily activities. This entity, on the other hand, sucked the energy out of the area where he appeared and filled it with an angry energy. I held my ground, using what I had been taught over the years to keep a protective shield of light energy around me so as not to allow him to come any closer to me.
The entire encounter lasted a few seconds and felt like several minutes. I know nothing about this spirit, not his name nor his rank, but I do know what I felt when meeting him. He’s moved past the point of being reasonable; anger has overtaken him, and it’s how he feeds his energy. He takes the form of a man when he appears, but I don’t think that his true form is human. I feel that this spirit attached itself to one of the men who served on the ship and now uses that man’s form to manifest as a human when it desires. The sailor to whom he attached himself during the time he served on the ship was never a mentally well-balanced person. He wrestled with his dark side all throughout his life and enjoyed being cruel to others onboard, which made him prey for this dark spirit.
He’s definitely not giving out information as to whether or not he was one of the men who died aboard the ship, but it’s clear that he’s attached to the ship with no plans to leave anytime soon. Should you encounter him during your visit, you’ll know immediately. Even if you do not see him, you’ll feel his presence, a mixture of anger and dread, and you’ll struggle not to run as far away from this energy as you can.
As I kept my light force field shield around me, the spirit disappeared and I could no longer detect his presence. He’s motivated through creating fear and making other people feel afraid, so if you bump into him on the ship, don’t engage with him. The best thing you can do if you run into him is to ignore him and move away to another area.
If you encounter the other ghosts here on the ship, they feel very different from this spirit. Should they materialize in front of you, they are lighter in color and go about their daily tasks on the ship. In comparison, the dark spirit appears to be hunting for something or someone on the ship.
Finished with the tour, I gathered myself and prepared to disembark. Turning back to look at the ship one last time, I found myself agreeing with those sailors in Hawaii; the ship is a beautiful sight. Wonderfully preserved, we can’t quite call her a landmark, but she is a presence to be dealt with and honored. The nickname given to the USS North Carolina was The Showboat, and she continues to live up to her name today.
The Life and Legend of Blackbeard’s Ghost
Blackbeard the Pirate may be the most famous pirate ever known, and his legend, his legacy, and his ghost remain with us to this day. His proper name was Edward Teach. He gained the nickname of Blackbeard from his long mass of tousled black hair that whipped around his head, as well as his scruffy black beard. They gave him a dark, forbidding look, and it was reported at times that he would place lit fuses under his hat that would shower his face in sparks, in order to further intimidate and scare people.
He was ruthless as a pirate, but reports also state that no captive of his was ever injured or killed. Before his death in 1718, Blackbeard lived in several areas of North Carolina, including the villages of Bath and Beaufort. Blackbeard’s final
battle was with Lieutenant Maynard of the British Navy on Ocracoke Island. Blackbeard fought valiantly with his sword but at the end was overtaken by the sheer numbers of Maynard’s crew. By the time he was taken down, he had been shot five times and stabbed more than 20 times.
Once he was confirmed dead, Lieutenant Maynard ordered that Blackbeard’s head be cut off and hung from the bow of Maynard’s ship. Blackbeard’s headless body was then thrown into the water near Ocracoke Island.
Reports of Blackbeard’s ghost began in the 1800s. Locals reported seeing and hearing an epic battle with ghostly ships and men waging war against each other near Bath Creek and the inlet. Massive balls of fire were also seen moving back and forth across the water toward the ships. Legends state that Blackbeard’s ghost most often appears right before a storm rages along the coast of Ocracoke, Bath, Albemarle, and Pamlico Sound. He seems drawn to the sea when the waves pick up and are thrashing, and some say he is looking for his head. There is often a light seen accompanying his ghost, which is referred to as Teach’s Light.
Blackbeard continues to roam the coast of North Carolina and is said to frequently visit the coastal towns where he once lived. On a dark stormy night, don’t be surprised if you run into the pirate walking along the coast.
CHAPTER 2
Civil War Ghosts of Fort Fisher
KURE BEACH
Fort Fisher was one of the largest forts built of earth and sand. In 1865, it covered one mile of sea defense and one-third of a mile of land defense.
“The importance of closing Wilmington and cutting off Rebel communication is paramount to all other questions—more important, practically, than the capture of Richmond [Virginia].”
—Gideon Welles, U.S. Secretary of the Navy, September 15, 1864
FORT FISHER IS LOCATED near the Cape Fear River and is one of the largest forts built in the South. The entrance to the fort is imposing, and the giant oaks surrounding the fort stand as guardians with deep, sorrowful stories to tell. The construction of the fort is interesting; rather than being built of brick and mortar, it was made with earth and sand in order to absorb the shock waves from explosions.
The fort’s ramparts were built to be 32-feet high and were connected by underground passages and a telegraph system. More than 1,000 men worked to complete the fort, and upon its completion, 22 guns faced the ocean and another 25 guns covered the approach by land.
In 1864, Wilmington was the last major seaport to remain open during the Civil War to receive goods smuggled in from blockade-runners, the others having been blockaded or occupied by Federal forces. Norfolk, Virginia, fell in May of 1862, and the supply line in Wilmington was the last one standing to deliver necessities to Robert E. Lee’s men in Virginia and other troops further inland. The only reason that the port of Wilmington was still open was due to the protection provided by Fort Fisher.
On Christmas Eve 1864, Union troops and ships attacked Fort Fisher and bombarded the fort through Christmas Day. The troops then retreated after two unsuccessful days of fighting. Union forces returned in January of 1865, when they bombed the fort from tactical areas both on land and by sea for almost three days. At the end of these three days, more than 3,300 Union soldiers attacked the fort. With these large numbers, they were able to take the fort by nightfall.
When Fort Fisher fell to Union troops, it was one of the final nails in the coffin of the Confederate army. They evacuated the area, and the port of Wilmington was no longer able to receive smuggled goods. With supplies cut off, the War Between the States ended soon after.
After the battle was over, Union troops occupied Fort Fisher, using it to hold Confederate prisoners and to serve as a base of operations. On January 16, 1865, the fort’s main magazine mysteriously exploded, killing more than 200 Union soldiers and Confederate prisoners. Shortly after this time, ghost stories began to be reported.
Rose Greenhow (Rebel Rose) and her daughter (Little Rose) while imprisoned at the Old Capitol Prison in Washington, D.C. 1862. (Photo courtesy of WikiCommons)
One of the ghosts reported to haunt Fort Fisher is Confederate spy Rose O’Neal Greenhow, also known as Rebel Rose. Rose was considered to be one of the most important female spies of the Civil War. Born in Maryland, Rose’s family were slave owners, and she grew up a socialite in Washington, D.C. Among her close friends were John Calhoun, James Buchanan, and Dolley Madison. Rose married Robert Greenhow, and they traveled to San Francisco during the gold rush, where Robert died in a tragic accident. Rose returned to Washington and was known for her social skills and her love affairs with prominent men. This led to the large amount of information she received regarding Union plans for the Civil War.
One of her greatest accomplishments as a spy was delivering a coded message to General Beauregard that enabled him to win the First Battle of Bull Run. She was eventually captured and imprisoned, along with her eight-year-old daughter. This backfired for the Union as a public relations campaign, as Rose became a martyr for the Confederate cause. Even while imprisoned, though, she managed to continue to run a spy ring, sneaking out messages in secret places, including tying the messages inside the buns of other women’s hair.
In 1862, she stood trial for espionage and gave a passionate speech in which she asked the court questions such as this: “If Mr. Lincoln’s friends pass along such important information to her on such a frequent basis, shouldn’t they be looked into as well for espionage?” The Union judge, knowing that she was already being covered heavily in the press for her bravery and imprisonment with her young daughter, decided it would be best to release her with the decree that she must return to the South and never return to the North again. When she was released, she exited the prison draped in a Confederate flag.
At that point, she traveled to Europe to campaign for assistance to the Confederacy as a diplomatic emissary of Jefferson Davis. It was during this time that she wrote her book, My Imprisonment and the First Year of Abolition Rule at Washington, which was a bestseller. She also met with Queen Victoria and Napoleon III during her time in Europe.
During her return from Europe, Rose was aboard a blockade runner that ran aground off the coast of North Carolina near Fort Fisher during a fierce storm. The legend states that Rose asked to be placed in a rowboat so she could leave the ship and reach the shore before nearby Union ships captured the damaged blockade runner boat.
The rowboat carrying Rose overturned in the strong waves, and Rose drowned. She was reportedly carrying several thousand dollars worth of gold from the proceeds she earned by selling her book in Europe. The gold was sewn into her clothing, and the weight of it pulled her under in the stormy seas. It was also reported that she was carrying several bags with secret messages from Europe that would have benefitted the Confederate Army.
Legend states that a soldier found her body washed up on shore and that he stole the gold from the bags sewn to her clothing. Rose was buried with full military honors in Oakdale Cemetery in Wilmington, North Carolina. The legend also reports that the man who stole the gold from Rebel Rose’s body felt so guilty that he later returned the money to her estate.
Rose’s ghost is most often reported not at the cemetery but rather near the shore heading toward Fort Fisher. It appears that she is still trying to complete her mission and deliver the messages from Europe to the Confederate army.
During my time at Fort Fisher, I checked out the fiber-optic battle map, which uses sound effects and flashing lights to give a sense of what the battle felt like during this time. The flashes portray the charged energy experienced by Union and Confederate soldiers during this siege. While this portrayal brings home how intensely the fort was attacked, I found the most eerie time to be when walking alone around the fort. Certain areas were so still and empty. Yet, as I walked further around the various sections of the fort, there were old sounds that began to rise from the building, including whispers coming from around corners, the sound of shuffling feet perhaps from imprisoned soldiers, and the sound of heavy
boots pacing back and forth from a soldier on guard duty.
Fort Fisher was called back into action during World War II, when it was used as a training site for anti-aircraft artillerymen. As the war raged on, German U-boats were reported off the coast of North Carolina and were responsible for sinking several American ships. There is also a legend that German sailors from a submarine were caught near Fort Fisher on their way to plant dynamite and blow up the channel that allowed naval ships to move throughout the area near the port of Wilmington. The rough and ready battle feeling in this area still permeates the land. Many ghost sightings are reported of soldiers pacing around the fort at night, and shots are heard in the distance.
During my tour of the fort in broad daylight, I was surrounded by tourists and families exploring the area. Even with so many living people around, I could feel the ghosts of both Union and Confederate soldiers who never left the battle. I wanted to stay overnight at Fort Fisher, but that is not permitted. Should anyone be left there alone on a moonlit night, I believe that the ghosts of Fort Fisher would certainly pay a visit to anyone trespassing in their fort.
The Ghosts of Currituck Beach Lighthouse
The North Carolina coast is one of the most dangerous of the Atlantic for ships. The unpredictable and treacherous currents and ever-shifting sandbars have run more ships aground here than anywhere else along the Eastern Seaboard, giving the North Carolina coast the nickname Graveyard of the Atlantic. This is why so many lighthouses were built in the state, as a warning to sailors as they approached the coastline.