File:Coast watch (1979) (20037866923).jpg

Title: Coast watch
Identifier: coastwatch00uncs_0 (find matches)
Year: 1979 (1970s)
Authors: UNC Sea Grant College Program
Subjects: Marine resources; Oceanography; Coastal zone management; Coastal ecology
Publisher: (Raleigh, N. C. : UNC Sea Grant College Program)
Contributing Library: State Library of North Carolina
Digitizing Sponsor: North Carolina Digital Heritage Center

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North Carolina operates "little navy" Chances are, few inland North Carolinians realize that the state has its own fleet—a fleet of ferries, that is. Folks at places such as Hatteras and Ocracoke, however, know that the ferries are a vital link in North Carolina's coastal transportation. Currently, there are 15 ferry boats in North Carolina's "little navy," says Ben L. O'Neal, director of the N. C. Department of Transportation's ferry division. O'Neal says the number of ferries has grown steadily since the division was established in the early 1940s with ferry service across the Alligator River. Now the ferries travel seven routes across sounds, inlets and rivers along the coast. Many of the early ferry crossings at places like Oregon Inlet and Croatan Sound were stopped after bridges were erected, O'Neal explains. "But when we do away with service in one area we just start it up somewhere else," he says. Most bridges are, in the long run, less costly than ferries, which require a constant expenditure of funds for up- keep and personnel, state transporta- tion officials say. But the North Carolina coast, with its system of barrier islands, large sounds, shifting inlets and many rivers, often makes Photo by N. C. Dept. of Transportation ferry service more feasible than bridges, officials say. Officials also say, traffic to some coastal areas does not warrant the ex- penditure necessary to build a bridge. Tolls are charged for the three longest ferry crossings—Ocracoke- Swan Quarter, Cedar Island-Ocracoke and Southport-Ft. Fisher. By charging a fare, the division tries to recoup at least part of its operating cost, O'Neal says. In 1978, $5 million were spent on maintenance and operation of the ferry division, he says. Fare information and ferry schedules are listed on the official North Carolina highway map distributed by the trans- portation department and the travel and tourism section of the N.C. Department of Commerce. Ferry infor- mation can also be obtained by writing the Ferry Division, N.C. Dept. of Transportation, P.O. Drawer P, Morehead City, N.C. 28557, or by call- ing (919) 726-6446. O'Neal emphasizes that people tak- ing the Ocracoke-Swan Quarter ferry or the Cedar Island-Ocracoke ferry should make reservations several days in advance. These ferries are often crowded because they are the main access routes to and from Ocracoke Island and the Outer Banks and reser- vations are needed to assure people of space on the ferry, O'Neal says. These reservations may be made in person at the ferry terminal or by telephone between the hours of 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. For departures from Ocracoke, call (919) 928-3841; from Cedar Island, call (919) 225-3551; from Swan Quarter call (919) 926-1111. Most of the ferry schedules change in the summer months to accom- modate the increased traffic from tourists, so travelers should check to see when winter and summer schedules are in effect for each ferry. The ferries are captained for the most part, O'Neal says, by retired Navy and Coast Guard personnel who have been licensed by the Coast Guard as captains. The Coast Guard also in- spects the ferries regularly. O'Neal says the ferry division is a part of the state's civil preparedness plan to evacuate people in case of a hurricane. He adds that, in the case of a hurricane, ferries would run until conditions became too severe to safely carry passengers. Then they would be moored at various points up and down the coast. O'Neal says he thinks the ferry system will be around for years to come "because of the traveling needs of the public and the nature of our outer islands."
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Bearing passengers from Hatteras, the Ocracoke slides into the dock at Ocracoke Island

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