The Outer Banks of North Carolina, a string of barrier islands stretching nearly 200 miles along the state’s coast, have long been steeped in lore and legend, with tales of pirates and ghost ships captivating the imaginations of locals and visitors alike. Among the most famous of these tales is that of the notorious pirate Blackbeard and the enigmatic ghost ship, the Carroll A. Deering.
Edward Teach, better known as Blackbeard, was a fearsome pirate who terrorized the seas in the early 18th century. Born in Bristol around 1680, he served as a privateer before joining the crew of Benjamin Hornigold. He later commandeered the French slave ship, Queen Anne’s Revenge, and upgraded its armament significantly, using it to wreak havoc on merchant ships along the North American seaboard. Blackbeard’s reign of terror culminated in a blockade of Charleston, South Carolina, in May 1718, where he held the city hostage for several weeks. His notorious reign ended later that year when he was killed in a dramatic sea battle at Ocracoke Inlet.