In 1921, The Carroll A. Deering Ghost Ship Was Found Adrift, With Its Captain And Entire Crew Mysteriously Missing
Traveling across the ocean via boat has always been a dangerous activity. Disaster can strike out of nowhere, causing lives to be lost and the most durable of ships to sink.
In some cases, boats are found adrift with their crew nowhere to be seen. These vessels are referred to as “ghost ships,” and they have long been featured in sailors’ tales.
One of the most notable ghost ships is the Carroll A. Deering. The five-masted schooner was built in Bath, Maine, in 1919 by the G.G. Deering Company.
The ship was 255 feet long and 44 feet wide. It weighed 1,879 tons and was designed to carry coal at a capacity of up to 3,500 tons. The Carroll A. Deering was one of the last wooden cargo ships ever constructed.
In April 1919, the ship headed out to sea from Maine. In August 1920, it took off from Norfolk, Virginia, setting sail toward Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The captain onboard was William H. Merritt, a World War I hero. His son, Sewall Merritt, served as the first mate. They were accompanied by a crew of 10 men and a huge cargo of coal.
Just a few days into their journey, Captain Merritt fell ill. They had to turn the ship around and land at the port of Lewes, Delaware.
The captain and his son disembarked and were replaced by Captain Willis B. Wormell, a 66-year-old retired sea captain, and Charles B. McLellan as the first mate.
In September 1920, the Carroll A. Deering made its way to Brazil. They were able to deliver the coal without incident.
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In December 1920, Captain Wormell was having trouble with his crew, especially with the first mate, who frequently got drunk and mistreated the crew.
In January 1921, they set sail for Hampton Roads, Virginia. Weeks later, the Carroll A. Deering was spotted in rough condition on the Diamond Shoals without a captain or a crew. Somehow, all the occupants of the schooner had disappeared.
When the U.S. Coast Guard boarded the battered ship, they found that the sails were set and much of the equipment had been damaged, including the wheel, the rudder, and the binnacle box.
The ship’s logbook, navigation tools, and two lifeboats, along with the crew’s belongings, were missing.
The galley appeared as if someone had been in the middle of preparing food. There was coffee on the stove, ribs in a pan, and pea soup in a pot.
It was suspected that Captain Wormell was captured by pirates. In April 1921, a message in a bottle washed ashore with a note that read, “Deering captured by oil-burning boat.”
The U.S. government launched an investigation into the claim and discovered that it was all a hoax. A man named Christopher Columbus Gray had forged the note. Eventually, the investigations fizzled out when no other findings were made.
Theories of mutiny were also considered, as the conflict between Captain Wormell and his first mate was well-known.
Additionally, the ship may have run aground, so the crew took to the lifeboats, and bad weather may have swept them out to sea.
Ultimately, no sign of the crew was ever found. To this day, their disappearance remains a mystery.
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