North Carolina Department of Transportation Ferry Division
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| Number of ferries: | 24 |
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| Regular Routes: | -Currituck to Knott's Island -Hatteras to Ocracoke -Swan Quarter to Ocracoke -Cedar Island to Ocracoke -Bayview to Aurora -Cherry Branch to Minnesott Beach -Southport to Fort Fisher |
| Emergency Route: | -Stumpy Point to Rodanthe |
The North Carolina Department of Transportation Ferry Division is a branch of NCDOT that is responsible for the operation of over two dozen ferry services that transport passengers and vehicles to several islands along the Outer Banks of North Carolina.
Three other inland, cable ferries — the Elwell Ferry, Parker's Ferry and Sans Souci Ferry — continue in operation, under the oversight of the North Carolina Department of Transportation.
Ferries have always played a vital role to the residents and visitors of Eastern North Carolina. The first ferries began in the mid-1920s when Captain J.B. "Toby" Tillett established a tug and barge service across Oregon Inlet along North Carolina's Outer Banks.
In 1934, the North Carolina Highway Commission recognized the importance of this service to residents and began subsidizing Tillett's business. These subsidies kept tolls at an affordable level. In 1942, the Highway Commission began full reimbursement to eliminate the tolls. Tillett was fully subsidized until 1950 when his business was sold to the state.
In 1947, the Commission purchased the ferry operations of T.A. Baum, who operated a route that ran across Croatan Sound and linked Manns Harbor and Roanoke Island. This became the first route of the N.C. Ferry System.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation's Ferry Division extends over seven routes, one emergency route, has 22 ferries and employs over 400 workers. The operations are supported by a full service shipyard at Manns Harbor and 10 support vessels, including dredge, military-style landing craft utility vehicles (LCUs), tugs, and barges. The Ferry Division operates over 200 sailings, with the ferries covering 1200 miles each day. The system includes the world's longest fare-free ferry route.
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Wikipedia