Cape Fear Pride: Southport’s Maritime Museum

There are more than 300 miles of coastline in North Carolina. A museum in Southport features some of the states most fascinating nautical artifacts.

From torpedoes to shipwrecked artifacts, the Maritime Museum in Southport has something for everyone, including pirate enthusiasts. The museum has a display with recovered items from one of the ships from the most feared and famed pirate — Blackbeard.

One of Blackbeard’s cohorts, Stede Bonnett, also has a history in Southport.

Along with pirates the museum also has an in-depth look into what was once a booming shrimping business in Southport.

While the old artifacts are all interesting in their own way museum employees say one takes precedent over the others.

The Monitor was the Navy’s first ironclad warship. It sank off Cape Hatteras New Year’s Eve 1862.