Ship’s Bell Found on Shipwreck off Hatteras Island

By Bruce Wilkins

The Ship’s Bell from the Proteus

Hatteras Island, N.C. — It is the holy grail of virtually any North Carolina shipwreck diver, finding the bell to a shipwreck in the Graveyard of the Atlantic. Veteran wreck diver and charter boat captain John Pieno achieved such a lofty goal thanks to the immense power — even far undersea — of Hurricane Isabel.

Pieno, co-owner with his wife, Amy, of the popular Hatteras Island dive shop and charter service Outer Banks Diving has logged more than a thousand dives on the Proteus over the past decade or so. However, the bell had been hidden by sand that built up after the ship collided with another vessel and sunk on August 19, 1918. But that was all changed by the power and wrath of Hurricane Isabel last September.

"I’ve swam right over that bell countless times and never even knew how close I was to it," commented Pieno, who is also captain of Outer Banks Diving’s Bayou Runner. Figuring something may have been uncovered from the massive hurricane, Pieno and his crew set out at the beginning of the 2004 dive season — on April 3 to be exact — and immediately went to the Proteus.

Pieno and a porthole he recovered from the Proteus in July

"First seeing that bell was an awesome sight and one I will never forget," Pieno reflected. "I was struck by the historical nature of the find and I still can’t believe it!"

The bell weighs over five hundred pounds and was discovered near the bow on the port side of the ship at a depth of 126 feet, according to Pieno. He and some fellow veteran wreck divers utilized a 1,000-pound lift bag to bring the bell to the surface. "It takes five guys to move this bell around," Pieno said.

Pieno has already been offered a large sum of money for the bell by the subsequent company of the firm that once owned the Proteus, but immediately turned the offer down. "This bell is going to stay right here on Hatteras Island."