Nags Head Coast Guard Station Record of Signals Sent, ORG.5349
Abstract
This collection consists of a single handwritten logbook containing a record of signals sent using wireless telegraphy and received by the Nags Head Coast Guard Station from 1917 to 1922. Each log entry identifies the sender's name and the signals used to communicate the message alongside a transcript of the message and the length of time taken to receive it. Many of the messages were sent during World War I and indicate the presence of enemy ships and other military operations off the North Carolina coast.
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Nags Head Coast Guard Station Record of Signals Sent
- Call Number
- ORG.5349
- Creator
- United States. Coast Guard. Nags Head Station (Nags Head, N.C.).
- Date
- 1917-1922
- Extent
- 0.200 cubic feet
- Language
- English
- Repository
- Outer Banks History Center
Restrictions on Access & Use
Access Restrictions
Available for research.
Use Restrictions
Copyright is retained by the authors of these materials, or their descendants, as stipulated by the United States copyright law (Title 17 US Code). Individual researchers are responsible for using these materials in conformance with copyright law as well as any donor restrictions accompanying these materials.
Preferred Citation
ORG.5349, Nags Head Coast Guard Station Record of Signals Sent, Outer Banks History Center, Manteo, NC, U.S.A.
Collection Overview
This collection consists of a single handwritten logbook containing a record of signals
sent using wireless telegraphy and received by the Nags Head Coast Guard Station from
1917 to 1922. Each log entry identifies the sender's name and the signals used to
communicate the message alongside a transcript of the message and the length of time
taken to receive it. Many of the messages were sent during World War I and indicate
the presence of enemy ships and other military operations off the North Carolina coast.
For instance, in October 2017, W.S. Dough relayed a message from a nearby ship captain
reading "We have been attacked by a German submarine. I am sinking. Send boats to
assist..." This was followed by another message from John Walker relayed by Dough
a week later saying "I am on fire 30 miles N.E. off Cape Henry. Send boat suitable
for landing passengers and crew. I am a complete wreck."
Most other messages were sent by wrecked or disabled ships seeking assistance, while
some were simply conversational. On 24 June 1918 an advertisement for Ivory Soap was
sent. Several messages relate to the activities of the President of the United States.
On 19 September 1917 a message was relayed by W.E. Hollowell indicating that the President
would be visiting the area, while messages sent in the fall of 1919 indicate that
the President had fallen ill. Other messages at the end of 1919 report on a British
railroad strike.
Many of the messages are repeated verbatim, sometimes several times over the course
of the five years covered by the logbook. The reason for this repetition is unclear.
Biographical/Historical
The Nags Head Coast Guard Station was originally founded as part of the United States
Lifesaving Service in 1874. The station merged with the U.S. Coast Guard along with
the rest of the Lifesaving Service in 1915. The primary responsibility of its crew
was to respond to vessels and individuals in need of assistance off the coast of Nags
Head.
Contents of the Collection
Subject Headings
Acquisitions Information
Donated by Meaghan Beasley on behalf of the Dare County Library, June 2022.