GUARDIAN OF THE SHOALS — Famous lightship at Diamond Shoals, off Cape Hattcras. In the center of a
weather-breeding, current-creating section of the sea, she has had a stormy career and was the only lightship
ever sunk in warfare (1918).
Diamond Shoals Lightship
This
«та И
"tiartls f lit* ^realesl area of quick-
sand in flio world. In winfor. flu* crow goes
for w<M*ks willmiii
и
visitor, except for the
monthly nrrivnl of the supply tender.
Diamond Lightship. N. C. — Leon
Hudgins lashed his hniidlinc to the
rail and trained his glass on the
smudge of
«шоке.
"It's one of III
Doochey’s «hips," ho «aid with agree¬
able levity. "We see lot* of Eye-tali nn
'hips out Imre." Three or four of the
crew came over and peons! curiously
at the passing freighter, but Leon
1 1 itdgin - rot tinted dutifully i<> his
handiino. For many years he has fished
the esoteric and fruitful waters of the
Gulf Stream— that mysterious him-
Hack current which washes its west-
< rn edgt against the most famous
lightship in America. ‘Newcomers to
• ho lightship first fish enthusiastically,
then fitfully, then not at all. Hut Leon
Hudgins fishes like a true sportsman,
never so sophisticated a* to tiro of
what his lino will produce. One dav
he brought up seven oelopi r t hey are
octopusses, on the lightship) and
astounded tlmiii all. To get bait for
By III!
Л.
SII \KI»i:
the barracuda. amherjnek and dol¬
phin he has a simple expedient. Open
a hatch near the water at night, set
a light there, and the flying fish jump
right in.
The handful of men stared solemnly
at the Eve-talian ship a- she steamed
by, cutting in between the Outer
Shoals and the pestiferous current of
the Gulf Stream.
Once. 2<' years ago now. Captain
W. L. Barnett Imd stood in like mien,
watching a heavily loaded Hollander
plod along. Suddenly, he had seen a
puff of smoke it|>on the Dutchman,
then another. Climbing high into the
light-mast, Im espied the German sub¬
marine, pumping shell into the craft
with her surface guns.
Now Captain Barnett, for 33 years
afloat lightships, tends a peaceful
little garden in the shadow of Old
Cape Hatterii- light in Buxton woods.
But he recalls vividly that afternoon
20 years ago. “I monkeyed out of the
rigging.** he said, "and we radioed an
S.O.S. for the Dutchman. Her crew
was already in the lifeboats and mak¬
ing away. The submarine picked up
our signals, and we niust'a made the
commander ntad. Next thing 1 knew,
she was steaming up, and a shell
knocked out our antenna."
The regular captain was ashore, and
Harnett (then First Mate) was in
charge. The frightened crew took to
the whaleboat and pulled away. Mean¬
time, the submarine chased away after
a tanker, but returned a hit later and
pumped shells into the lightship until
the sank.
“We were three miles away.” said
Harnett, "when the old tub stuck up
her nose and went under." It was 2:30
p. m. when they left ship. At 0:30
that night, they landed on the Outer
Hanks north of the lighthouse, care¬
fully rowing north of the roaring Dia-
