Which two currents meet near Cape Hatteras?

Gulf Stream and Labrador Current

Graveyard of the Atlantic Quiz: Outer Banks Shipwrecks

This graveyard of the Atlantic quiz dives into the dangerous waters off North Carolina's Outer Banks. Play 10 interactive questions on Diamond Shoals, clashing ocean currents, Cape Hatteras Lighthouse and its 1999 move, the USS Monitor, Torpedo Junction U-boats, lifesaving stations at Chicamacomico and the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum.

Start Graveyard of the Atlantic Quiz

🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Where
Where is the Graveyard of the Atlantic?
Count
About how many shipwrecks lie in these waters?
Shoals
Which shifting sandbars off Cape Hatteras are notorious?
Currents
Which two currents meet near Cape Hatteras?
Light
What pattern does Cape Hatteras Lighthouse have?
Move
What happened to the lighthouse in 1999?
Monitor
Which Civil War ironclad sank off Cape Hatteras in 1862?
War
What nickname did the area earn in World War II?
Rescue
Which service built stations to rescue sailors?
Museum
Where is the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: Where is the Graveyard of the Atlantic?
Answer: Off North Carolina's Outer Banks
It stretches along the barrier islands.
Q2: About how many shipwrecks lie in these waters?
Answer: Thousands
Records go back centuries.
Q3: Which shifting sandbars off Cape Hatteras are notorious?
Answer: Diamond Shoals
They extend miles out to sea.
Q4: Which two currents meet near Cape Hatteras?
Answer: Gulf Stream and Labrador Current
Their clash brings storms and fog.
Q5: What pattern does Cape Hatteras Lighthouse have?
Answer: Black and white spiral stripes
It is America's tallest brick lighthouse.
Q6: What happened to the lighthouse in 1999?
Answer: It was moved inland
Erosion threatened it.
Q7: Which Civil War ironclad sank off Cape Hatteras in 1862?
Answer: USS Monitor
Its wreck became a marine sanctuary.
Q8: What nickname did the area earn in World War II?
Answer: Torpedo Junction
German U-boats sank many ships there.
Q9: Which service built stations to rescue sailors?
Answer: US Life-Saving Service
Chicamacomico station still stands.
Q10: Where is the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum?
Answer: Hatteras Island
It displays wreck artifacts.

Why So Many Ships Sank Off Cape Hatteras

The waters off North Carolina's Outer Banks are called the Graveyard of the Atlantic because thousands of ships have wrecked there. Diamond Shoals, shifting sandbars off Cape Hatteras, reach far out to sea, and the meeting of the warm Gulf Stream and cold Labrador Current stirs up storms and fog.

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, with its black and white spiral, is the tallest brick lighthouse in America. In 1999 it was moved about 2,900 feet inland to escape erosion. The Civil War ironclad USS Monitor sank nearby in 1862, and its wreck became the first national marine sanctuary.

In World War II, German U-boats sank so many ships that the area was nicknamed Torpedo Junction. Earlier, the US Life-Saving Service built stations like Chicamacomico to rescue sailors. The Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum on Hatteras Island now displays artifacts from many famous wrecks.

What This Quiz Teaches

History fans will enjoy these questions.

Why ships wrecked
Which currents meet
How the lighthouse was saved
Which wrecks are famous
Who rescued sailors

Did You Know?

Some wrecks appear on beaches after storms.
Divers explore World War II wrecks offshore.
Pirates like Blackbeard sailed these waters.
The Outer Banks shift as sand moves.
Lifesavers practiced drills with surfboats and breeches buoys.