Frying Pan Shoals

The Frying Pan Shoals are a long, shifting area of shoals off the coast of Cape Fear in North Carolina, United States. The shoals have been a hazard to ships in the area since the beginning of European exploration of the area; the area is littered with shipwrecks. The southern edge of the shoals have been marked by a lightship (which is now a popular attraction in, oddly enough, New York), a light tower and a buoy. From May 1994 to August 2008, over 130 new shipwreck locations have been discovered in the area encompassing Frying Pan Shoals. The area is also a great fishing destination.

Recently the United States government sold the Frying Pan Shoals Light Station through a sealed bid auction. The winning bidder (Richard Neal, a private US citizen, www.FPTower.com) made his plans public to renovate and return the light station to use as a private rental property. The tower as it is known by locals is significant not only for its longevity but also since when out of sight of land, it is a commonly referenced location and as such is marked on many navigation charts with its GPS coordinates.

Frying Pan Shoals Light Station is one of 15 light stations off the United States coastline most of which have been dismantled or destroyed by weather and time.








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