Drone footage offers rare look at Civil War shipwreck off Wrightsville Beach

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — More than 150 years after a Confederate blockade runner ran aground off Wrightsville Beach, new drone footage is offering a rare look at the shipwreck beneath the water.

UNCW research specialist and free diver Patrick Carroll captured the images of the “Fanny and Jenny,” which ran aground off Wrightsville Beach in February 1864 during the Civil War.

Carroll said he has long been interested in maritime history and uses his diving skills to research shipwrecks along the North Carolina coast.

The latest footage gave him an unusually clear view of the wreck.

“I knew it was out there, but I had never seen it that uncovered before, so it was really interesting, so I took some time to get some really good shots of it. This area has a lot of blockade runners with a lot of really interesting stories behind them,” said Carroll.

The Wilmington area has deep ties to the Civil War and its maritime history, including the blockade runners that once moved through the Cape Fear region.

The area also has a strong connection to World War II. The USS North Carolina, now a museum ship on the Cape Fear River, serves as another reminder of the region’s military history.

For researchers like Carroll, shipwrecks along the coast continue to offer opportunities to uncover pieces of that history beneath the water.