North Carolina operates "little navy" 



Chances are, few inland North 

 Carolinians realize that the state has 

 its own fleet — a fleet of ferries, that is. 

 Folks at places such as Hatteras and 

 Ocracoke, however, know that the 

 ferries are a vital link in North 

 Carolina's coastal transportation. 



Currently, there are 15 ferry boats in 

 North Carolina's "little navy," says 

 Ben L. O'Neal, director of the N. C. 

 Department of Transportation's ferry 

 division. 



O'Neal says the number of ferries 

 has grown steadily since the division 

 was established in the early 1940s with 

 ferry service across the Alligator River. 

 Now the ferries travel seven routes 

 across sounds, inlets and rivers along 

 the coast. 



Many of the early ferry crossings at 

 places like Oregon Inlet and Croatan 

 Sound were stopped after bridges were 

 erected, O'Neal explains. "But when 

 we do away with service in one area we 

 just start it up somewhere else," he 

 says. 



Most bridges are, in the long run, 

 less costly than ferries, which require a 

 constant expenditure of funds for up- 

 keep and personnel, state transporta- 

 tion officials say. But the North 

 Carolina coast, with its system of 

 barrier islands, large sounds, shifting 

 inlets and many rivers, often makes 



Photo by N. C. Dept. of Transportation 



ferry service more feasible than 

 bridges, officials say. 



Officials also say, traffic to some 

 coastal areas does not warrant the ex- 

 penditure necessary to build a bridge. 



Tolls are charged for the three 

 longest ferry crossings — Ocracoke- 

 Swan Quarter, Cedar Island-Ocracoke 

 and Southport-Ft. Fisher. By charging 

 a fare, the division tries to recoup at 

 least part of its operating cost, O'Neal 

 says. In 1978, $5 million were spent on 

 maintenance and operation of the ferry 

 division, he says. 



Fare information and ferry schedules 

 are listed on the official North Carolina 

 highway map distributed by the trans- 

 portation department and the travel 

 and tourism section of the N.C. 

 Department of Commerce. Ferry infor- 

 mation can also be obtained by writing 

 the Ferry Division, N.C. Dept. of 

 Transportation, P.O. Drawer P, 

 Morehead City, N.C. 28557, or by call- 

 ing (919) 726-6446. 



O'Neal emphasizes that people tak- 

 ing the Ocracoke-Swan Quarter ferry 

 or the Cedar Island-Ocracoke ferry 

 should make reservations several days 

 in advance. These ferries are often 

 crowded because they are the main 

 access routes to and from Ocracoke 

 Island and the Outer Banks and reser- 

 vations are needed to assure people of 



space on the ferry, O'Neal says. 



These reservations may be made in 

 person at the ferry terminal or by 

 telephone between the hours of 6 a.m. 

 and 6 p.m. For departures from 

 Ocracoke, call (919) 928-3841; from 

 Cedar Island, call (919) 225-3551; from 

 Swan Quarter call (919) 926-1111. 



Most of the ferry schedules change 

 in the summer months to accom- 

 modate the increased traffic from 

 tourists, so travelers should check to 

 see when winter and summer schedules 

 are in effect for each ferry. 



The ferries are captained for the 

 most part, O'Neal says, by retired 

 Navy and Coast Guard personnel who 

 have been licensed by the Coast Guard 

 as captains. The Coast Guard also in- 

 spects the ferries regularly. 



O'Neal says the ferry division is a 

 part of the state's civil preparedness 

 plan to evacuate people in case of a 

 hurricane. He adds that, in the case of 

 a hurricane, ferries would run until 

 conditions became too severe to safely 

 carry passengers. Then they would be 

 moored at various points up and down 

 the coast. 



O'Neal says he thinks the ferry 

 system will be around for years to come 

 "because of the traveling needs of the 

 public and the nature of our outer 

 islands." 



Bearing passengers from Hatteras, the Ocracoke slides into the dock at Ocracoke Island 



