For centuries due to storms, shifting inlets, and capes, ships have been wrecking and running aground off the coast of the Outer Banks. World Wars I and II also led to a number of shipwrecks off the coast including over two dozen sunken by German u-boats in WWII. There are an estimated 3,000 shipwrecks off the coast earning this region of the Atlantic Ocean the nickname 'Graveyard of the Atlantic'.
Over the years large chunks or small pieces of the vessels have been washed onto the shore with the waves and some such as the G.A. Kohler, can be seen as the sands shift.
Divers, snorkelers, and even kayakers can view some wrecks such as the triangle wrecks in Kill Devil Hills resting only 200 yards offshore and the Huron, resting just 250 yards off the coast of Nags Head. Some of the shipwreck stories have a sad ending like that of the Huron, losing 98 lives that day, some infamous such as the Queen Anne's Revenge, the pirate Blackbeard's flagship, and some shipwrecks like the Mirlo, have a heroic rescue story.
For additional information on some of the shipwrecks you are interested in here are a few useful resources:
To avoid overlapping labels some shipwrecks may not be visible on this map at first but as you zoom in they will appear, you can also search for one if you don't see it immediately. Unidentified wrecks will appear as a blue dot on the map.
This information is NOT to be construed or used as a "legal description." Map information is believed to be accurate, but accuracy is not guaranteed.