Evening star., 1934-05-27
Cap'n Peel, Hero of Rescues
Glad to Haze Visitors Drop In
Skipper of Life Sauing
Station at Cape Henry
Tells Exciting Tales.
On His Wall Is a Signed
Citation From, the
King of Nor,Uay.

He's one Of the breed Of saltwater
men who live by plucking fellow
mems lives from boiling surf along
the seaboard-this Capt. Charlie Peel.
He's skipper of the Coast Guard
Life Saving Station at Cape Henry
and unless the big guns in target
practice there at Fort Story haven't
shaken his station down on his head
by that time, he'll be right glad If
you drop in and pay him a visit
on your trip to T1dewater Virginia
this season.
Cap'n Peel-Charles o. Peel Is his
full name-came up to Cape Henry
from down in North Carolina where
he had worked in the life-saving
service on one of the dirtiest spots
of the entire Atlantic seaboard: Dia-
mond Shoals of Hatteras. There's
not a sea-going man on the coast
who won't admit deep respect for
and not a little fear Of this shoal Of
quick-sand that has swallowed many
a whole ship and her people who
were unfortunate enough to be driven
ashore there. And it was Charlie
Peel and other men there with him
who figured in some mighty neat res
cues. AS a matter Of fact, it was
one Of his Diamond Shoals exploits
which won him and a shipmate from
another Carolina station, their pro-
motions.
72-Mile Wind.
It was back in December, 1927.
A full gale was blowing and at
4:30 O'Clock on the morning of the
fourth. big ship went on old Dia-
mond Shoal. The wind was clocked
at 70 miles an hour and a huge
sea was running. Lives, with Moth
ing much between them and eternity,
were in the balance out there. In
short time. the vessel was identified
as the Norwegian fruit steamer,
Cibao
Charlie Peel was on duty at the
Hatteras Inlet Coast Guard Station
and he knew a bad job when he
saw one. An old shipmate of his
and a warm personal friend, Will
Barnett, was at Creed's Hill Station,
and Peel called on him for help.
Barnett and his crew put out in a
motor life boat to join Peel in the
rescue work. All day long the two
life saving crews worked and by
4:30 in the afternoon they had safely
hauled out of the stranded ship her
entire company.
Capt Magnus highlander was skip
rDor ,f "A d.. H. ~
station now hangs a gilt framed
photograph of Capt. Meglander's
little daughter, wearing her dads
cap and standing beside the Ciboa's
wheel. Capt. highlander presented
the picture to Cap'n Peel at the time
Of the rescue.
Well. that episode of the sea did
not go unrecognized. Both Charlie
Peel and Will Barnett were promoted
as a result Of 1t. records show. Peel
subsequently got command of the
Cape Henry station, and Barnett now
Is skipper of the station on Cape
Fear Island, at sea of the pleasant
little town of Southport in North
Carolina.
Citation From Norway.
And the work Of the life savers
went further than that. The King
Of Norway heard about the rescue
Of his couptry's seamen and he dis
patched a personally signed citation
to Cap'n Peel. That, too, hangs on
the walls of the Cape Henry station.
Peel's station is nearly hidden from
the concrete shore drive that runs
from Virginia Beach to Ocean View,
but it's there among the sand dunes,
within 200 feet of the big coast de-