Coastal Explorations

10/11/2024

Northern lights with NC’s northernmost light 😍

07/13/2024

Nothing says summer quite like marsh mallows 🌺

07/07/2024

Wow! Different times

GERMAN WWII TYPE SMA SUBMARINE-LAUNCHED SEA MINE

The waters off our coast were battle zones during both of the World Wars. During World War II, specialized German Type VII-D and Type X-B submarines deployed SMA anti-shipping mines outside Allied harbors in the British Isles, Mediterranean, the U.S. East Coast, and in the Caribbean.

The mines were carried in vertical shafts and released through the bottom of the hull to settle on the seabed. Each mine was attached by a long cable to an anchor mechanism. A preset timer system released the mine after the submarine was clear, allowing it to rise to a predetermined depth. If a ship passed too closely, the steel of its hull could trigger the mine's magnetic detonator, releasing a blast of over 770 lbs. of explosive.

Other types of U-Boats carried similar, smaller type TMB mines in their torpedo shafts. In June 1942, 15 such mines were placed near the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay off the coast of southern Virginia by the German Type VIIC U-Boat U-701, captained by Horst Degen.

The mines sank or damaged five Allied ships, including the HMT Kingston Ceylonite, killing 18. Three of the sailors who washed ashore at Sand Bridge are interred in Oak Grove Cemetery near Pungo Ferry Landing. On This Day, July 7, 1942, that submarine was sunk off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina by a US Army Lockheed Hudson patrol bomber.

ℹ️ Courtesy of the Military Aviation Museum

07/01/2024

Want front row seats for the 4th of July fireworks but don’t want to fight the crowds? Reserve a spot on our dock and stretch out with your friends to enjoy the show! Book online or give us a call!

06/28/2024

One sunset, two tones

06/18/2024

Great article with so many details (for anyone who wants to nerd out on lighthouse construction!)

By: Meghan Agresto, Currituck Beach Lighthouse Site Manager & Historian Corolla, NC – One hundred and fifty years ago, on June 19, 1874, at the Currituck Beach Light Station “the driving of the piles for the foundation was commenced.” More than 200 piles would eventually be driven for the foun...

06/14/2024

Found this mama horse watching over her new little one as it grabbed a nap 💤
Such a beautiful morning!

06/14/2024

What a week for sunsets 😍😍😍 !!!

06/04/2024

We’ve got some great deals on used equipment for all of your summer fun!! Give us a call or stop by the shop and check it out. Bikes are $150, kayaks are $300, foamy surfboards (great condition!!) are $200, SUP’s range in price based on condition. Only while supplies last! 252-453-9872

05/28/2024

It’s cattail pollen season, yall! I foraged some up and a friend made me cattail pollen biscuits 🤤

05/22/2024

Last night’s golden hour with the moon rising over the marsh 😍

05/01/2024

First one of these we’ve had in a while ⛈️ ! Must be getting close to summer 🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼

03/16/2024

Hey look at our dock in the background!

By Maggie Miles | Outer Banks Voice When film director James Rowe visited the Outer Banks on vacation a few years ago, he discovered the star of his next film. It was tall, captivating and mysterio…