The Carroll A. Deering was a five-masted schooner that operated along the Eastern Seaboard of the U.S. and into South America. It had been built as a commercial schooner in Bath, Maine by the G.G. Deering Company in 1919. It was assigned to make voyages to South America to deliver coal.

On August 19, 1920, the Deering , under the command of Captain William H. Merritt prepared for a voyage from Norfolk, Virginia to Rio De Janerio. The captain’s son, Sewall, was the first mate. The ship had a ten-man crew made up completely of Scandinavians, mostly Danes.

On August 22, the Deering departed Newport News, Virginia enroute to Rio De Janiero with a load of coal.

About a week later, Captain Merritt became ill and was let off the ship in the port of Lewes, Delaware. His son, the ship’s first mate, joined him. The company quickly hired Captain W.B. Wormell, a 66 year old captain as a replacement for Captain Merritt and hired Charles B. McLellan as a replacement for the first mate.

On September 8, 1920, the Deering got underway again and apparently had an uneventful voyage to Rio.

After docking in Rio, Captain Wormell gave his crew leave and met with an old friend and colleague, Captain Goodwin, who captained another ship. During their visit, Captain Wormell spoke lowly of his crew, saying that the only one he trusted in the crew was Herbert Bates, engineer.

On December 2, 1920 the Deering left Rio. On that same day, Mrs. Wormell received a communication from her husband stating that he was sailing from Rio to Hampton Roads by way of Barbados with the most unruly crew ever!

In January, 1921, First Mate McLellan was heard in Bridgetown, threatening Captain Wormell in the presence of several captains and mariners, saying “Between here and Hampton Roads, I will get him, I will” He was arrested and jailed. Captain Wormell had him released so the voyage could continue.

On Sunday, January 9, 1921, the Deering cleared Carlisle Bay at Bridgetown, Barbados.

On Tuesday, January 18, 1921, the Deering was spotted off the coast of Cape Canaveral, Florida, proceeding northward.

On Thursday, January 20, 1921, the Deering was spotted off the coast of Beaufort, South Carolina. On the same day, the ship, Hewitt cleared Sabine Pass, Texas with a load of sulfur headed to Portland, Maine.

Between 4 and 5 p.m.,on Sunday, January 23, 1921 the Deering was reported passing the Frying Pan Lighthouse vessel off the coast of Cape Fear, North Carolina.

On Tuesday,January 25, 1921, approximately 250 miles north of Juniper Inlet, Florida, the SS Hewitt disappeared! Neither wreckage nor bodies were ever found.

On Saturday, January 29, 1921, the U.S. Coast Guard Lightship #80 of Cape Lookout, North Carolina was hailed by a vessel. From the deck of the approaching ship, a thin man with reddish hair and a foreign accent told the lightship keeper that his vessel had lost its anchors. The keeper of the lightship took a note of the situation and told the man that the radio aboard the lightship was broken, but he would report it as soon as it was restored to operating condition. The keeper also noted that the crew seemed to be milling around the fore deck of the ship, where crewmembers weren’t usually congregated. A photograph was made of the Deering. It was the last time anyone was seen on the Carroll A. Deering.

On Sunday, January 30, 1921, the Deering sailed north/northwest crossing the shipping lanes near Hatteras. At approximately 5:45 pm, she sailed past the SS Lake Elon, about twenty-five miles southwest of the Diamond Shoals Light Vessel. In the darkness, the Deering sailed into the Outer Diamond Shoals.

On Monday, January 31, 1921, at approximately 6:30 a.m., Surfman C.P. Brady, of the Cape Hatteras Coast Guard Station #183 spotted a five masted schooner, aground on the shoals. At 3:30 pm, Station 183 notified the Norfolk Division that they were unable to get within a quarter mile of the vessel due to high seas and it sill remained unidentified. It was also noted that a yawlboat was missing from its deck, but no signs of the crew were found.

Tuesday, February 1, 1921, another attempt to identify and board the vessel failed because of high seas. At 1.30 pm, the cutter Seminole arrived at Diamond Shoals. Keeper B.B.Miller of the Cape Hatteras Station boarded the Seminole with his crew to spend the night.

On Wednesday, February 2, 1921, Keeper Miller and his crew attempted to reach the schooner by using a surfboat. This attempt was halted also due to high seas. They were unable to get close enough to identify the ship. At this point, the Seminole experienced boiler problems and was instructed to stand by.

On Friday, February 4, 1921, at 9:30 a.m., Wrecker Rescue of Norfolk, arrived in Cape Hatteras and approached the shipwreck with the cutter Manning. The schooner was positively identified as the missing Carroll A. Deering. At 10:30 a.m., Captain James Carlson and his crew boarded the Deering and remained there until 4:30 p.m.

On April 11, 1921, Christopher Columbus Gray found a bottle on the beach at Buxton, North Carolina. In the bottle was a message that gave some possible answers to the mystery of the missing crew. Hand writing experts in Portland, Maine authenticated the hand writing as being that of the trusted engineer, Herbert Bates. The message read:

Deering captured by oil burning boat something like chaser. Taking off everything handcuffing crew. Crew hiding all over ship no chance to make escape. Finder please notify Headquarters Deering.

NOTE: At a later date, Christopher Columbus Gray admitted that the message in the bottle was a complete fraud, he had written the message.

To this day the fate of the crewmembers is unknown. Some believe it was mutiny and others believe it was piracy. Still others believe it was the action of foreign nations for political purposes. After no less than five government investigations, the mystery has not been solved.