THE CARROLL A. DEERING & SS HEWITT MYSTERY

The mystery of the Carroll A. Deering is often called the "Ghost Ship of the Outer Banks," and for good reason. It remains one of the most debated maritime mysteries of the 20th century—a perfect blend of eerie timing, missing clues, and a dash of Prohibition-era chaos.

Here is the breakdown of the ship's strange end.

The Timeline of a Ghost Ship

The Deering was a massive, five-masted commercial schooner. In January 1921, it was returning to Norfolk, Virginia, from Brazil when things went sideways.

• January 28, 1921: A lightship keeper off Cape Lookout, NC, is hailed by a "red-haired man" on the Deering who reports the ship has lost its anchors. The keeper notes the crew is milling around on the quarterdeck—an area usually reserved for officers.
• January 31, 1921: The ship is spotted run aground on Diamond Shoals. The seas are too rough for rescuers to board immediately.
• February 4, 1921: Investigators finally board the ship. They find it completely abandoned.

The Eerie Scene on Board

When the Coast Guard stepped onto the deck, they found a scene that felt frozen in time:

• The lifeboats and navigational equipment were gone.
• The crew’s personal effects and the ship’s logs were missing.
• Food was prepared for the next day's meal, left sitting on the stove, but not a single soul was on board.

The Theories: What Happened?

Because the ship was found during the height of the "Bermuda Triangle" craze (though it was slightly north of the zone), theories ranged from the logical to the supernatural.

Theory	Evidence / Context
Mutiny	Captain Willis Wormell was reportedly disliked by his crew. The "red-haired man" seen on deck wasn't the captain, suggesting the crew might have taken over.
Piracy	This was the Prohibition era. "Rum-runners" were known to seize ships, though the Deering wasn't carrying alcohol.
The "Steamer Hewitt"	Another ship, the SS Hewitt, disappeared in the same area at the same time. Some believe a massive storm or a rogue wave claimed both (and the Deering's crew died in lifeboats).
Bermuda Triangle	Often cited in paranormal circles, though most historians point to the human conflict on board instead.

The Investigation

The FBI launched a massive investigation (led personally by Herbert Hoover, then Secretary of Commerce). They looked into every lead—from Bolshevik pirates to disgruntled sailors—but the case was officially closed in late 1922 without a definitive answer. No trace of the crew was ever found.

Fun Fact: The ship was eventually dynamited to prevent it from being a hazard to other vessels, but pieces of the wreck still occasionally wash up or are seen by divers off the North Carolina coast.

FBI FINDING

The FBI and government investigations into the Carroll A. Deering revealed a ship that was practically a powder keg of resentment long before it hit the shoals. While "ghost ship" stories focus on the untouched food, the official reports focused on a bitter, booze-fueled rivalry between the Captain and his First Mate.

1. The Report of the "Red-Haired Man"

On January 28, 1921, three days before the wreck, the Deering passed the Cape Lookout Lightship. Captain Jacobson, the lightship keeper, provided the following testimony:

• The Hail: A "tall, thin man with reddish hair and a foreign (Scandinavian) accent" shouted through a megaphone that the ship had lost its anchors near Cape Fear and asked Jacobson to notify the owners.
• The Breach of Protocol: Jacobson immediately knew something was wrong. In maritime tradition, only the Captain or an officer hails another vessel. This man was neither.
• The Quarterdeck Sighting: Jacobson noted the crew was "milling around" on the quarterdeck. This was a major red flag—the quarterdeck was strictly for officers. Seeing common sailors there was like seeing passengers hanging out in a plane's cockpit.
• The Silent Captain: Captain Wormell was nowhere to be seen during this exchange.

2. The Captain vs. The First Mate

The FBI’s deep dive into the crew’s time in Barbados (their last stop) painted a picture of a mutiny waiting to happen.

Captain Willis Wormell (The Victim)

• Health & Eyesight: Wormell was 66 and had been pulled out of retirement. He reportedly complained to friends that his eyesight was failing and that he distrusted his entire crew, except for the engineer, Herbert Bates.
• The Conflict: He was a strict disciplinarian of the "old school," which clashed with his younger, rowdier crew.

Charles B. McLellan (The First Mate)

• The Arrest: While in Barbados, McLellan got "blind drunk" and was thrown in jail. Wormell bailed him out, but the mercy didn't lead to gratitude.
• The Death Threat: Witnesses at a Barbados cafe (including another ship’s captain) heard McLellan say, "I'll get the captain before we get to Norfolk; I will."
• The Grievance: McLellan complained that he was doing all the work because of Wormell’s poor eyesight, but that Wormell wouldn't let him discipline the crew his way.

3. FBI Evidence of a Takeover

When investigators finally boarded the ship, they found physical clues that suggested the Captain had been deposed or killed well before the grounding:

• Handwriting Shift: The ship’s log and navigation charts showed the Captain's handwriting until January 23. After that, the logs were continued in a different hand.
• The Spare Bed: In the Captain’s quarters, the spare bed had been slept in, and three different pairs of boots (none belonging to the Captain) were found, suggesting the crew had taken over his private cabin.
• The Sledgehammer: A 9-pound sledgehammer was found propped up near the steering gear, which had been intentionally smashed and disabled.

AFTERMATH

No official explanation for the disappearance of the crew of the Carroll A. Deering was ever offered. In September 1955, the remaining hull of the Carroll A. Deering was moved about 9 miles (14 km) by Hurricane Ione, from Ocracoke Island to Hatteras.

Carrol A. Deering, for whom the ship was named, died in March 1967, aged 84.

As of April 2016, the ship's bell and capstan from the Carrol A. Deering were on display at the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum in Hatteras.

The Final Theory

The FBI’s leading theory was that McLellan and the crew mutinied, likely killing or imprisoning Wormell. They then ran the ship onto the shoals (perhaps intentionally to cover their tracks or by accident due to poor navigation) and escaped in lifeboats.

The most tragic part? Because another ship (the SS Hewitt) disappeared nearby at the same time, many believe the mutineers escaped into the Deering's lifeboats only to be swallowed by the same storm that sank the SS Hewitt.

SS HEWITT

The SS Hewitt is the "shadow" of the Carroll A. Deering mystery. While the Deering became famous because the ship itself was found, the SS Hewitt is arguably more chilling because it simply erased from existence along with 42 souls.

Here are the specific details of the Hewitt and its deep connection to the Deering case:

1. The Final Voyage

The SS Hewitt was a 420-foot steel bulk freighter owned by the Union Sulphur Company. It was much larger and sturdier than the wooden Deering.

• Departure: January 20, 1921, from Sabine Pass, Texas.
• Cargo: Over 8,000 tons of sulfur (highly flammable, but a standard load).
• Destination: Portland, Maine (with a stop in Boston).
• The Last Signal: On January 25, 1921, the ship made a routine radio call reporting its position roughly 250 miles north of Jupiter Inlet, Florida. The captain reported "nothing unusual."
• The Disappearance: After that message, the Hewitt was never heard from again. It failed to arrive in Boston on January 29.

2. The Link to the Carroll A. Deering

When the Deering was found abandoned on January 31, investigators immediately looked for other ships in the area. The Hewitt was the primary suspect for a few reasons:

The "Collision" Theory

Because both ships were in the same general area of the Atlantic at the same time, a British insurance company proposed they had collided.

• The Argument: The heavy, steel Hewitt would have sunk instantly, while the wooden Deering (which was "in ballast" or weighted for stability) could have stayed afloat but was damaged enough to terrify the crew into fleeing.
• The Flaw: When investigators boarded the Deering, they found no structural damage consistent with a collision with a steel freighter.

The "Rescue" Theory

Some believe the Hewitt may have come across the Deering crew in their lifeboats.

• If the Deering crew had mutinied or abandoned ship due to the storm, the Hewitt might have picked them up—only for the Hewitt to then suffer its own catastrophic accident. This would explain why neither crew was ever found.

3. The "Explosion" Lead

A potentially vital clue came from Coast Guard officials in Atlantic City. On the night of February 3, 1921, they reported seeing a massive flash and hearing an explosion about 20 miles offshore.

• While they initially linked this to the Hewitt, no wreckage, oil slicks, or debris were ever found to confirm it.
• A sulfur freighter like the Hewitt could theoretically explode if the cargo dust ignited, but the lack of even a single life ring or piece of charred wood makes this hard to prove.

4. The Bermuda Triangle Connection

The SS Hewitt is often cited as a classic Bermuda Triangle case. Unlike the Deering, which was found just north of the Triangle’s traditional boundary, the Hewitt vanished right in the heart of the route between Florida and the Carolinas.

The Reality: 1921 was an exceptionally brutal year for hurricanes and "rogue" storms in the Atlantic. Most historians believe the Hewitt was overwhelmed by a sudden, violent storm that sent the heavy, sulfur-laden ship to the bottom before the crew could even send a distress signal.

Reference:

1. Wikipedia: Carroll A. Deering
2. Southern Strange: The Carroll A.Deering: What Happened to its Crew?
3. Historical Blindness: The Carroll A.Deering, Ghost Ship of Cape Hatteras.
4. Wikipedia: SS Hewitt
5. Paranormal Enlightenment: The Ghost Ship of 1921

Google Gemini AI

16/2/2026: 9.24 A.M