GC172DM Boo Y'All - Battleship Hitchhiker (Traditional Cache) in North Carolina, United States created by fraygirls

This cache has been archived.

fraygirls: We agree, time to archive. Thank you to all who have been spooked here over the years!

GC172DM ▼

A cache by fraygirls Message this owner

Hidden : 10/30/2007

Difficulty:

Terrain:

Size: Size: micro (micro)

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Geocache Description:

Welcome to Wilmington - a quaint, historic port city tucked along the Cape Fear coast. As you stroll along the streets of downtown Wilmington enjoying the views of the river, the gnarled live oaks, and the significant old homes, you must brace yourself and face one inescapable truth: Wilmington is full of history, and such history is usually accompanied by ghosts. If you stay alert, you may spot a cache…and a few lost souls who still call Wilmington home.

This installment of the BOO Y’ALL series brings us to the USS Battleship North Carolina. The North Carolina was commissioned in April 1941 and, at that time was considered to be one of the world’s premier sea weapons. During World War II the North Carolina participated in many offensives in the Pacific arena and earned 15 battle stars. The North Carolina survived many near misses with catastrophe (including torpedo impact to her hull) and lost ten men in action. Decommissioned in 1947, the North Carolina was nearly condemned to scrap in 1958 but was saved by a statewide campaign to bring her back to her namesake state. She arrived in Wilmington in 1961 and was dedicated as the state’s memorial to its World War II veterans in 1962.

But let’s focus once again on the 10 men that were lost during battle. It is said that a few still remain on the ship. A night watchman for the battleship has written a book which describes the many encounters he’s had with their spirits on the ship. Hatches and doors are known to slam unexpectedly, shouting can be heard in the eerie passageways, air temperatures plummet for no reason, and the diaphanous form of a blond man has been spotted more than once.

Our favorite story involves a lady friend of the night watchman. One evening, she stopped by the battleship with a picnic dinner for them to enjoy together. As she approached the ship, she saw someone peeking out from one of the portholes on the side of the ship. When the night watchman came out to greet her, she inquired about the other visitor whom she had seen. The night watchman told her that there was no one else aboard the ship. At that point the lady friend was a little too creeped-out to enjoy the picnic, so she left the food with the watchman, apologized, and drove back to town. As she was crossing the bridge, there was an outbreak of commotion in the back of her van. Stuff was flying everywhere for no reason – the windows and doors were closed, and the ride was fairly smooth. The friend noticed that the tumult seemed to become more violent as she gained distance from the battleship. Completely shaken, she turned around and went back over the bridge to the battleship. Once in the parking lot, she stopped and threw open the back doors of the van. The little tornado which was taking place in the back of the van suddenly stopped. She closed the doors and quickly left the area and, this time, made it home without incident. To this day, both she and the night watchman believe that one of the restless spirits of the battleship tried to hitch a ride in the van!

We want everybody to know that we have purposefully made this cache an easy one for you to find. We don’t want you to hang around any longer than you have to, because you never know who might climb into your vehicle. Good Luck and Have Fun!

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