When it comes to famous ships from the history of the Cape Fear Coast, one of the most storied is the United States lightship Frying Pan.

The Frying Pan Lightship blows a final whistle as it hands off its duty as the light of Frying Pan Shoals to Frying Pan Tower on Nov. 24, 1964. [PHOTO COURTESY OF DR. ROBERT M. FALES COLLECTION ...

Frying Pan Tower was built in 1964 to help ships avoid the dangerous Frying Pan Shoals. It was decommissioned in 2004 when GPS on ships made it obsolete, but volunteers and tourists can pay to ...

Frying Pan Tower reborn: Battle underway to restore famous offshore light station An army of volunteers and passionate owners are what's going to save Frying Pan Tower from being claimed by the ocean.

The body of a missing diver was recovered Tuesday about 20 miles off the coast near Frying Pan Shoals, according to the Coast Guard.

As a warning beacon, the Frying Pan Shoals Light Tower likely saved 10,000 ships from slamming into the shallow rock ledge that lines the outflow of the Cape Fear River.

The Frying Pan Tower is a lighthouse established in 1964 by the U.S. Coast Guard. It was originally built to warn ships of the shallow waters, called the Frying Pan Shoals, nearby.

FORTRESS MONROE, Tuesday, Dec. 22. The United States steamer Maratanza, arrived from Wilmington, reports that the lightship was blown away from Frying-Pan Shoals on the 18th inst.