Shipwreck linked to mutiny and murder mystery ‘disappears’ on North Carolina beach

A shipwreck linked to a century-old mutiny and murder mystery is disappearing into the sands of a North Carolina beach.

Local resident Mimi Farrell posted images of the ghostly wreck, which had emerged from the sand at Surf City, on Facebook on Jan. 28.

Then this week Farrell sent Fox News an image of the wreck, which was almost engulfed by the sands. “Just wanted you to see how quickly it can disappear beneath the sand,” she explained.

SHIPWRECK LINKED TO MUTINY AND MURDER MYSTERY APPEARS ON NORTH CAROLINA BEACH

In January, Farrell told Fox News that the wreck is the William H. Sumner, which ran aground on Topsail Island in 1919. Most of the time, the wreck is covered by sand, she said.
The News & Observer reports that the William H. Sumner ran aground after an alleged mutiny.

The cargo schooner was traveling from Puerto Rico to its homeport of New York when it met its end, according to the Topsail Island Blog.

SHIPWRECK EMERGES ON NORTH CAROLINA BEACH, THEN DISAPPEARS

“The speculation is that the crew had asked the Captain to detour to pick up supplies and the Captain wishing to head northward to port would not,” the blog explains. “The crew then allegedly mutinied the captain and to their fear, ran aground at Topsail Inlet.”

According to the blog, the body of the ship’s captain was found in a pool of blood, with gunshot wounds “apparently self inflicted over the despair of losing the vessel on his maiden voyage.” However, a jury appointed by the Pender County coroner was unwilling to accept that the skipper’s death was the result of suicide.

Citing articles on TreasureNet.com, the News & Observer reports that seven of the ship’s eight crew members were tried for murder, but the jury failed to reach a verdict.

MYSTERIOUS SHIPWRECK DISCOVERED IN RIVER MAY BE 700 YEARS OLD

Other North Carolina shipwrecks have been garnering attention. In October 2019, a mysterious shipwreck emerged on a Hatteras Island beach in the wake of a storm before being swallowed up by the sand.

Earlier in 2019, the creepy skeleton of an 86-year-old shipwreck was also revealed by the shifting sands of Hatteras Island. The Cape Hatteras National Seashore posted an image of the wreck on June 1 to Facebook. The wreck is the G.A. Kohler, a four-masted schooner that became stranded on Hatteras Island in August 1933.