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Since the earliest European explorations,
the waters around the Outer
Banks of North Carolina have
been known as some of the most treacherous
in the world. Shipping lanes
followed two great currents, the Gulf
Stream and the Labrador, flowing North and
South, respectively, off the Banks.
Vessels plied these waters in hope of reducing
the duration of their voyage.
Dynamic conditions made navigation difficult
and dangerous. Summer and fall
hurricanes added to the rough seas and
winter and spring Noreasters, while not as
well known as the warmer weather storms, were
just as deadly.
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Mariners in the Graveyard of the Atlantic faced these treacherous
conditions essentially
unaided until the 20th century.
Weather was predicted
by looking at the sky. Charts
were inaccurate. At best, navigation
was by compass, sextant and chronometer.
While at sea, communication
with the outside world was impossible.
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Rescue could only be accomplished by lifesavers on the beach,
with rowboats or a breeches
buoy line fired from a beach
cannon. There
was no National Weather Service,
no radio, no GPS, no satellite emergency
beacons, no helicopters, nor any of the
other aids to mariners that we take for granted
in the modern world.
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Today, electronic
devices such as Global Positioning
System receivers and
Loran can determine position and calculate
courses and distances.
Radar is used not only to avoid
collision, but to measure distances
and plot position. However, today's
mariner still needs to know how to use
the traditional methods.
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Modern electronics
fail. The captain is
still responsible for the ship
and her passengers and cargo. With an
inexpensive quartz watch, and a sextant,
today's mariners can still determine
their position with a great degree of
accuracy.
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Weather prediction today is accurate, long range and supported
by a worldwide array of sensors
and instrumentation. Satellites
provide visual and infrared
imagery and data. Computers
accurately model storm system
formation, movement, strength and duration.
Weather aircraft gather
storm system data continuously. Worldwide
communication of weather information
is accomplished instantly by TV,
radio and the internet. Today's mariners
can easily stay informed.
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When accidents do
occur at sea, the chance of rescue
is greatly increased over the days
of lifesavers patrolling the beach
for signs of wreckage. Satellite
emergency beacons instantly notify
rescue authorities when a ship
gets in trouble at sea. The U. S.
Coast Guard is fully equipped and
trained to accomplish sea rescue under the
most severe conditions.
Their tools include
highly trained pilots,
rescue swimmers, helicopters
and modern lifesaving boats that
automatically right themselves in violent
seas.
to visit a
modern Coast Guard Lifeboat Station, Hatteras Inlet.
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Today, in the Graveyard of the Atlantic, a mariner in
trouble stands a much better chance of
surviving than those of the past. Explore
the sites
below for in depth descriptions,
explanations, examples and
imagery of today's technology at sea.
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