Dunbar John Davis (June 30, 1843 – March 30, 1923) was a Keeper in 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 United States government agency that grew out of private and local humanitarian effort ...

. During his service, he was the Keeper at the Cape Fear Station and was later transferred to the

Oak Island Oak Island is a privately owned island in Lunenburg County on the south shore of Nova Scotia, Canada. The tree-covered island is one of several islands in Mahone Bay, and is connected to the mainland by a causeway. The nearest community is the ...

Station in 1892. Davis was known for his numerous rescues at sea but is most famous for his rescue during a

hurricane A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...

in 1893.

Sea Islands Hurricane

In August of 1893, the

Sea Islands Hurricane The 1893 Sea Islands hurricane was a deadly major hurricane that struck the Sea Islands which was near Savannah, Georgia on August 27, 1893.

hit the

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

, and

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

coasts. The historic hurricane, by modern standards, would have been a Category 3 with sustained wind speeds of . However, the hurricane had an unusually low pressure at 931 mbar making it one of the most powerful storms to ever hit the

East Coast of the United States The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, the Atlantic Coast, and the Atlantic Seaboard, is the coastline along which the Eastern United States meets the North Atlantic Ocean. The eastern seaboard contains the coa ...

. Davis, who was the Keeper of the Oak Island Station, set off with his few crewmen. Entering the storm and the dangerous waters of the

Graveyard of the Atlantic Graveyard of the Atlantic is a nickname for the treacherous waters and area of numerous shipwrecks off the Outer Banks The Outer Banks (frequently abbreviated OBX) are a string of barrier islands and spits off the coast of North Carolina and ...

, he and his crew rescued all crewmembers aboard the four ships: ''Three Sisters'', ''Kate Giffor'', ''Wustrow'', and ''Enchantress''.

Later life and death

After the hurricane, Davis lived on another 30 years. Davis died in 1923. He is buried at the Old Morse Cemetery in

Southport Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England. Southport lies on the Irish ...

. There, a row of granite tombstones marks the births and deaths of most of the Davis family. The tallest tombstone, however, is that of Dunbar Davis.

In Media

Music featuring Dunbar Davis: *The band Scearce & Ketner made a song about his famous 1893 rescue called "The Long Day of Dunbar Davis". Numerous books tell of the many rescues Davis had over his career. Notable books that feature stories of Dunbar Davis: *''Bald Head: A History of Smith Island and Cape Fear'' *"A Day in the Life of Dunbar Davis" from ''Graveyard of the Atlantic''

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Dunbar 1843 births 1923 deaths United States Life-Saving Service personnel People from Brunswick County, North Carolina