The Lake Norman Brief
Maritime History & Disasters
Ships, coastal communities, lighthouses and storm disasters, explored through testimony, wrecks and archival records.
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The Railroad That Met the Sea: Flagler’s Overseas Railroad and the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane
Explore Flagler’s Overseas Railroad, the 1935 hurricane, the failed evacuation, survivor testimony and the long struggle to remember the dead.
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Rudolf Diesel: The Inventor Who Vanished, the Engine That Changed the World
Investigate Rudolf Diesel’s disappearance through contemporary reports, his own technical lectures, financial clues, and competing theories.
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The Flannan Isles: Three Lighthouse Keepers and the Evidence the Sea Left Behind
Investigate the Flannan Isles keepers: original reports, damaged landing gear, missing clothing, sea conditions, false log entries, and competing explanations.
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Mary Celeste: Why Did Ten People Leave a Ship That Could Still Sail?
Investigate Mary Celeste through family letters, the Gibraltar inquiry, cargo records, competing theories, and the evidence behind recent experiments.
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Carroll A. Deering: The Ghost Schooner on Diamond Shoals
Investigate the Carroll A. Deering through sightings, Coast Guard reports, missing boats, the forged bottle message, and competing explanations.
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Theodosia Burr and the Patriot: The Last Voyage and the Stories That Followed
Investigate Theodosia Burr’s lost voyage through family letters, the Nags Head portrait, pirate confessions, winter weather, and the evidence still missing.