A USGS CoNED Journey

Outer Banks
Navigator

Through the Ages

North Carolina's barrier islands have shaped history for 500 years. Navigate eight real eras, then test every vessel in history, from a Native American canoe to the Titanic, against the same shoals.

1585 Roanoke1718 Blackbeard 1718 Stede Bonnet1840s New Bern 1903 Wright Brothers1942 Battle of Atlantic 1962 Ash Wednesday2025 Rising Seas
Depth data: USGS CoNED Topobathymetric Model
v3, Mar 2026
How to Play
You are the captain.
The water decides.
1
Read the map: blue is Pamlico Sound, tan is the barrier island, dark blue is the Atlantic.
2
Read the situation: a real historical moment on the Outer Banks. Real people, real geography.
3
Make your choice: green is safer, red is risky, gold is a middle path. Your hull, crew, and provisions are at stake.
4
Test the ships: between each era, find out which vessels can cross the real chokepoints. Drag the tide slider to see how two feet of water changes everything.
All depth data comes from the USGS Coastal National Elevation Database. The same shoals that stopped Blackbeard’s pursuers are still there, still measured today.
1585
The Roanoke Voyages
Hull100
Prov.100
Crew12
Score0
Your Voyage Era 1 of 8
Era 1 Complete ✓
Depth Challenge
Test ships against this real chokepoint, then continue
1 / 5
⛵
Vessel Name
Description
Draft: ? ft
Voyage Complete
0 pts
USGS
Coastal National Elevation Database
Topobathymetric Model · Outer Banks & Pamlico Sound, NC

The depth numbers in this game are real. USGS CoNED integrates lidar, multibeam sonar, and historical charts to map the Outer Banks continuously. The same shoals that stopped Blackbeard's pursuers are still there, still measured, still documented.

4–5 mm
sea level rise per year near Duck, NC
2.5 mi
Oregon Inlet migrated south since 1846
4.5 ft
average depth of Pamlico Sound
5,000+
ships lost in Graveyard of the Atlantic
View Full USGS CoNED Research
Fleet & Chokepoint Explorer
Select a chokepoint
🌊 Tide Level No tide change (+0 ft)
Low (−2 ft)NormalHigh (+2 ft)
1 / 31
☕
Vessel