Dunbar Davis

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Dunbar John Davis (June 30, 1843 - March 30, 1923) was a Keeper in the United States Life-Saving Service. During his service he was the Keeper at the Cape Fear Station and was later transferred to the Oak Island Station in 1892. Davis is famous for his numerous rescues at sea, but is most famous for his daring rescue during a hurricane in 1893. On August 30, 1893 the infamous Sea Islands Hurricane hit the North Carolina coast. By today's standards it would have been a Category 3 with sustained wind speeds of 120 mph. However, the hurricane had an unusually low pressure at 931mb making it one of the most powerful storms to ever hit the East Coast. Davis, who was now the Keeper of the Oak Island Station, gathered his few crewman and set off. Braving the storm and the treacherous waters of the Graveyard of the Atlantic, he and his crew rescued all crewmembers aboard the four ships: Three Sisters, Kate Giffor, Wustrow, and Enchantress. The courage and almost super-human stamina demonstrated by Davis and his crew of lifesavers in this one episode of his career testify to the daily challenges these "guardians of seafarers" confronted. This heroic seaman’s final resting place is the Old Morse Cemetery tucked into a quiet corner of Southport. There, a row of simple granite tombstones marks the births and deaths of most of the Davis family. Standing the tallest, however, is that of Dunbar Davis. Numerous books tell of the many rescues Davis had over his career. There is even a song about his famous rescue called "The Long Day of Dunbar Davis" by the band Scearce & Ketner.

[edit] Books

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

[edit] Song

"The Long Day of Dunbar Davis"

By: Scearce & Ketner

In the summer of 1893,

It blew in off the Carolina Coast,

A cool ominous breeze.

Born by the wind in the Cape Verde Islands,

The storm blew into a lusty full grown hurricane,

And it picked up speed.

Racing north of the Caribbean headed west,

She pushed between Cuba and Bermuda,

Destination...the USA.

No warning of the danger 'til she struck,

All ships at the mercy of her wind,

And the cries for help began.

And the angry sea did hurl,

From the belly of her soul,

Sailor's tales off Frying Pan Shoals.

As time stood still,

The storm turned the hours into days,

The long day began for Dunbar Davis.

Mariners on their way.

Cape Fear escaped the dreadful fury,

Eight ships just disappeared swallowed up in the storm,

Fifty-six souls lost at sea.

Keeper of the Oak Island Station,

With a crew of seven god-fearing men,

But not enough pay.

Dunbar Davis eyed the waves,

The wind blew a gale and the sea ran high,

Kissed his wife and kids goodbye.

His wife knew at anytime,

He'd have to go out and thats a fact,

But nothing says he has to come back.

And the angry sea did hurl,

From the belly of her soul,

Sailor's tales off Frying Pan Shoals.

As time stood still,

The storm turned the hours into days,

The long day began for Dunbar Davis.

[Instrumental]

Daybreak at last lifeline on the mast,

Firing the lagan and the breeches buoy,

Fighting for their lives.

Four vessels in emanate peril,

Braving the wind and fear for his life,

Through the spindrift and the spray he came.

Making his way from Three Sisters to Enchantress,

Lifting death from The Graveyard of the Atlantic,

Dunbar rests his weary soul in the sand.

There are people alive today,

Who can thank Keeper Dunbar Davis,

For their chance to be.

And the angry sea did hurl,

From the belly of her soul,

Sailor's tales off Frying Pan Shoals.

As time stood still,

The storm turned the hours into days,

And the long day began for Dunbar.

Help's on its way.