SUPPORT THE MUSEUM
Our Mission
Friends of the North Carolina Maritime Museum at Southport help fund its new exhibits, summer camps, special events and daily operation.

Volunteer
Volunteers are a vital part of the Southport Maritime Museum. They are the first point of contact for our visitors and help them set the tone for an educational, thought-provoking and enjoyable experience.
Donate
Your donation help funds development of new programs and exhibits, repairs and maintenance of the building and grounds, and so much more.
On May 13th board member Kevin Fitzgerald joined the Cape Fear Pilot boat captains taking them to board the 685 ft long ,M/V Maersk Nansha. Click the image to see all of the pictures from the day. Read below for mor info.
​I was with pilot Bill Heu, who has been a Cape Fear River pilot since 2005. He started working for the Bald Head Ferry prior to taking a job with Moran Tug boats , working his way up to a docking pilot and then doing his apprenticeship with the Cape Fear Pilots.
While transiting up the Cape Fear River he pointed out the many obstacles for maneuvering the ship between the tides and river current. I was surprised to see how narrow the ship channel was as we approached the container terminal in Wilmington. For the much larger container ships (1200 ft long) that had been calling the port, those ships would have to squeeze into the dock and just about block the channel for any ships going further upriver.
Currently the pilots handle about 60 ships per month with 8 pilots in total working - 4 pilots work two weeks on and two weeks off. It was a real treat to be able to join the pilot and see what they do, but it also reminded me of my old shipping days as a deck officer and seeing how the pilots worked over 40 years ago.