The Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station (;
, from the North Carolina Collection's website at the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...

. Retrieved 2013-02-08. CLSS) is a former station of the

United States Life-Saving Service The United States Life-Saving ServiceDespite the lack of hyphen in its insignia, the agency itself is hyphenated in government documents including: and was a Federal government of the United States, United States government agency that grew out ...

and

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mu ...

. It is located in

Rodanthe, North Carolina Rodanthe ( ) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located in Dare County, North Carolina, United States, on Hatteras Island, part of North Carolina's Outer Banks. As of the 2020 census it had a population of 213. Rodan ...

, on

Hatteras Island Hatteras Island (historically Croatoan Island) is a barrier island located off the North Carolina coast. Dividing the Atlantic Ocean and the Pamlico Sound, it runs parallel to the coast, forming a bend at Cape Hatteras. It is part of North Carol ...

in the

Outer Banks The Outer Banks (frequently abbreviated OBX) are a string of barrier islands and spits off the coast of North Carolina and southeastern Virginia, on the east coast of the United States. They line most of the North Carolina coastline, separating ...

, on the east side of what is today Highway 12. Today, the surviving buildings of the station form a museum.

History

After the U.S. Life-Saving Service and the

United States Revenue Cutter Service ) , colors= , colors_label= , march= , mascot= , equipment= , equipment_label= , battles= , anniversaries=4 August , decorations= , battle_honours= , battle_honours_label= , disbanded=28 January 1915 , flying_hours= , website= , commander1= , co ...

merged in January 1915 to create the U.S. Coast Guard, Chicamacomico became a U.S. Coast Guard facility. Under Coast Guard control, it remained active until 1954. After its decommissioning the facility was transformed into a museum. The CLSS is perhaps best remembered for the 1918 rescue of the British tanker ''Mirlo'' on August 16 1918. Mirlo was struck by a German torpedo fired by U117, about 5 miles offshore during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. Forty-two crew members of the ''Mirlo'' were saved from the burning tanker by Keeper John Allen Midgett Jr. and his crew; Numerous accolades and awards were bestowed upon the 6 life-savers including gold medals in their honor presented by King

George V of the United Kingdom George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. Born during the reign of his grandmother Qu ...

and the ''Grand Cross of the American Cross of Honor''. To date only eleven ''Grand Cross of the American Cross of Honor'' awards have been bestowed in the history of the United States with six being bestowed upon the members of the CLSS. Today, Chicamacomico forms the most complete USLSS site in the nation, and still presents the reenactment of the historic Beach Apparatus Drill every Thursday during summer tourist season. This drill includes during the historic Lyle Gun and rescuing a live victim from the simulated ship wreck.

References

External links

Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station
- official site Government buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in North Carolina Government buildings completed in 1874 Hatteras Island Transport infrastructure completed in 1874 Buildings and structures in Dare County, North Carolina Life-Saving Service stations Museums in Dare County, North Carolina Maritime museums in North Carolina National Register of Historic Places in Dare County, North Carolina Historic Albemarle Tour Life-Saving Service stations on the National Register of Historic Places 1874 establishments in North Carolina {{NorthCarolina-museum-stub