S04 Episode 13: Lost in Stormy Visions (Pt.3 of 3)

formless clouds above. Down below and exhausted. John White, the contours of his bones clearly visible through his clothes, stirred in his bunk, his desiccated tongue probing feebly at his cracked and bleeding lips as he drifted in and out of consciousness. Only six weeks before, Governor White had clambered aboard Edward Spicer's flyboat, hoping for a swift journey to England before heading back to Roanoke Island, but the omens

had not been good. Within minutes of boarding, the vessel, twelve or the fifteen strong crew were badly injured due to a malfunctioning anchor mechanism that snapped back on them as they tried to bring it up. Eventually, they were forced to cut the anchor loose entirely, with only half the crew able to function properly, the ship had just made it past the azors when the wind completely ceased to blow. For days, they drifted until finally storm clouds

began to amass on the horizon. Unfortunately, the ensuing gale only succeeded in beating them back to where they had just come from. It would be almost a week before they were able to continue on their way, only for the wind to once again desert them. With the ship becalmed, two men dropped dead, as the rest subsisted on dregs of beer and wine leaves until finally they too were exhausted.

After weeks adrift on the ocean, with the men barely strong enough to lift their heads, a gray smudge was spied on the horizon, with no one daring to believe that it could be land. It wasn't until days later, when the smudge had shifted into something of genuine form, that they realized they were saved. Having no idea where they were, it was with some relief when the sailors

caught wind of Irish accents coming from the shore. After drifting for the best part of a month, the men finally made landfall on October sixteenth, within four days of arriving another three crew members would die and three others be taken perilously ill. Three weeks later, Governor John White returned to London. At Sir Walter Raleigh's home, Raleigh listened with barely concealed contempt as White did his best to

explain the colony's predicament. For a man so used to getting his own way, it was simply impossible to fathom how on earth White had allowed Simon Fernandez to abandon the colonists on Roanoke Island. To make matters worse, a supply ship with everything the settlers would be needing to survive the winter, was already on route to Chesapeake Bay. The ship duly arrived at the bay, only to find nobody there, and promptly returned to England. And worse was

to come. While White had been away, tensions between the English and Spanish crowns had been steadily increasing. Now on the brink of war, Queen Elizabeth had issued a ba and on any ships traveling without her permission, lest they be needed to mount an attack on her enemy. White was devastated. It had been three months since he'd left America, and even if Raleigh could get permission to send a second supply ship, it would be at least another two

months before it could get to Roanoke. Being equally dismayed at the situation, Raleigh nonetheless agreed to seek permission from the Queen to send a second supply ship to the stranded settlers. A week before it was due to set sail. However, the weather deteriorated so severely that it wasn't until spring the following year that its crew were confident enough they

could make the trip. Then, just as White was finally about to set sail, the Queen received word that an armada of well over a hundred ships had set sail from Spain, planning to mount an invasion of England. White's vessels would duly fuscated, and the fleet's captain, Richard Grenville, ordered to report to Francis Drake, who was overseeing the

naval defense of the country. Pleading with Raleigh once again, White eventually succeeded in securing two pinnaces to make the journey instead, small vessels that were ordinarily used to take passengers of a larger vessel to the shore. Though undoubtedly a risk, White had little option but to make do with what he had. After procuring a crew. Finally, he was on his way back to America. Barely a week into the journey to White's dismay, two galleons were spotted

on the horizon. As they drew closer, the crew discovered with alarm that the ships were from Spain. In the end, it could have been worse. After only taking their supplies, the admirals of the Spanish vessels allowed John White and his crew to return to England. On July nineteenth, the King of Spain's fleet was spotted off the southwest coast of England. In response, a series of beacons were lit in quick succession, delivering a message by fire all the

way to London that the country was under attack. The war had begun, and with it any hope that Governor White had of returning to Roanoke Island had vanished. By August, the King of Spain's armada was defeated. However, Walter Raleigh, who had spent the best part of the summer overseeing the English crowns colonization of Ireland, would not return to England until March fifteen eighty nine. It was sometime in March the following year that White, who incredibly had refused

to give up. Hope got wind of a local merchants and to send three trade ships to the West Indies, the only problem being that, with the country still at war, the Queen was refusing to give them permission to sail.

Realizing also that this could be their last chance, Raleigh convinced the Queen to let them travel on the proviso that they take John White to Roanoke Island, and so it was that on March twentieth, fifteen ninety, two years and seven months since he had last seen his daughter Eleanor and granddaughter Virginia, White stepped aboard the Hopewell for

one final attempt to get back to them. The catch being that each captain in the fleet had every intention of making the most of their journey before heading to America, White would have little choice but to dig in and pray that he would make it out alive. Over the next few months, the fleet attacked and raided two Spanish flyboats, before later being shot at by Spanish defenses when drawing

too close to the island of Saint John. Alighting at another island soon after, the crew of White's boat burned a Spanish settlement to the ground. Two men were abducted from the island of Dominica to be kept as slaves on the hopewell, but later managed to escape shortly before the ship was attacked by a Spanish galleon, resulting in a four hour gun battle against four hundred sailors. And

that was only the half of it. After numerous other skirmishes and raids on vessels from France and Spain, including chasing three ships heavily laden with treasure around almost the entirety of Cuba, the admiral of the fleet, Captain Cook, finally called it a day in August, having now been joined by John White's old friend Edward Spicer captaining the moonlight, the fleet was ready to make its way to Roanoke, and soon they were approaching the southern edge of the

Outer Bank, passing first the shores of croato And Island to the west, and then eventually, as a bright full moon the color of bone rose steadily into the sky. On August fifteenth, the fleet arrived off the coast of Hatterask Island, nestled just a mile beyond. It was Roanoke that evening White watched with a combination of joy and utter disbelief. As the telltale sign of campfire smoke rose up from within the island, he couldn't believe it. Could

it be? He thought that the colonists had survived all this time, having arrived later than hoped. White would have to wait till first light before any attempt was made to find out. That night, as he lay awake in his bunk, trying to imagine how his granddaughter might look, whether even he might have a second grandchild by now, those that had been chosen to escort him to the island were restless too. There was just no way they

could still be there, they thought. And if it wasn't the colonists who made the fire, just what else exactly might they find out there. The following morning, two boats loaded with men headed out toward the Pamlico Sound. White traveled in Captain Cook's vessel, while Captain Spicer took lead of the other. First, they would need to carefully navigate their way through the outer Bank, a slow and treacherous journey owing to the unpredictable nature of the various sandbars

and channels hidden below the waves. It was precisely for that reason that Raleigh had suggested settling on Roanoke in the first place, since not only was it hidden from the Atlantic side, but no warship could possibly get near it. For White, it was utter torture watching as the pilots cautiously negotiated their way, checking and rechecking the depths around

them every few minutes, until finally they were through. At that moment, two loud cannon blasts could be heard from behind, a prearranged signal from the hopewell to announce their arrival to the colonists. White and the rest fixed their eyes on the island for any sign of movement near the shore, but nobody came. The smoke from the night before had

also gone. Then a cry went up as one sailor spotted another trail of smoke, this time rising from Kindraiker's Mount, a large sand dune located roughly halfway down the outer bank between Roanoke and crow Atoan. It made sense, thought White, since it had been discussed that the colony would move

that way should things become complicated. Having yet to see more signs of life on Roanoke, White suggested to Cook that they turned the boat and head to Kindraker's Mount to see what they could find a few hours later, having moored up just off the beach, the men jumped into the water and headed cautiously toward where the smoke was coming from, picking their way through a thick mesh of trees and scrub on constant alert, they arrived at

the fire, or rather what was left of it. Somebody had been there, but they had long since moved on. With the two crews tired and exhausted, it was decided to head back to their respective ships for the evening before trying again for Roanoke Island. It was sometime around ten when they reached the opening and the outer bank to take them back through to the Atlantic. Cook's vessel went first, but quickly got into difficult when a furious

gale swept across the water, taking the wheel. Cook wrestled tirelessly with the boat as a series of ever growing waves pummeled it from both sides. With the rest of the crew furiously baling out water, Cook managed finally to get through. It was only when they were back on board the Hopewell that they noticed Spicer's boat being tossed violently about on the turbulent waters. Cook's men could only

watch horrified and helpless. A Spicer's boat was pitched onto its side in one swift movement, then, with a second wave colliding into its side, it was completely tipped over. Cook's crew watched on as some leaped from the vessel into the sea, while others clung on for dear life until they too were finally overwhelmed and disappeared into the gray. Some tried to swim to the nearest shore, only to

be beaten mercilessly back into the open water. Having seen enough, Captain Cook and four others jumped back into their boat and raced out to save their comrades. Seven men in total, including Captain Spicer, were drowned. Back on board the ships that night, the mood was understandably somber, and some began to question the purpose of their trip, that it had been doomed from the start. The next morning, White was

woken by a commotion on deck. See for yourself, said Captain Cook, pointing toward Roanoke smoke, this time coming from the northern edge of the island, close to where the colonists fought Raleigh had been established. That evening, Captain Cook brought his boat to the shores of roanoke. Stumbling from the vessel, Governor White sprinted up the beach, urging the rest of the men to follow, but the men stayed,

still concerned that something wasn't quite right. Cook agreed. Pointing into the trees, White looked again at the warm orange glow emanating from somewhere in the forest beyond that was no camp fire. Not wanting to lose any more of his crew, Cook suggested they make camp for the night

and continued their journey in the morning. Just then, one of the crew stepped forward and, putting a trumpet to his lips, blew a series of signals into the trees, each being answered by nothing save for the sound of the waves sloshing against the sand. The men found the fire still burning the following day, its limp flames licking at blackened tree trunks, while all about the ground the

grass too was on fire. It was as if their journey had merely been taking them through one door after another of hell, and only now were they getting to the heart of it. Returning to the beach, the men trekked to the island's northern edge until they spotted fresh footprints in the sand, heading into the trees. Through there, said White, pointing to a pathway that would lead them straight to the fort. But just as he was about to step forward, he felt a sudden, profound weight fall

upon him. For three years he had pined for this moment, hoping every day to be reunited with his daughter, But only now that he was here did he consider the worst. It was abundantly clear that either his people had left or they were dead. Perhaps he didn't want to see what might be waiting for him at the settlement. Looking up, he was suddenly distracted by something on one of the trees.

Do you see that, he asked Cook. Stepping forward, he held out his hands and brushed them against the trunk along the edges of what were clearly three letters carved into its bark, c R and oh crow, a tone he whispered under his breath, before rushing headlong into the forest. Are you always taking care of your family? Do you often take care of others and not yourself? Now it's time to take care of yourself, to make time for

you you deserve it. Tele Adoc gives you access to a licensed therapist to help you get back to feeling your best, to feeling like yourself again. With tele adoc, you can speak to a licensed therapist by phone or video. Therapy appointments are available seven days a week from seven am to nine pm local time. If you feel overwhelmed sometimes maybe you feel stressed or anxious, depressed or lonely, or you might be struggling with a personal or family issue,

teledoc can help. Teledoc is committed to facilitating great therapeutic matches, so they make it easy to change counselors if needed. For free. Teledoc therapy is available through most insurance or employers. Download the app or visit teledoc dot com Forward slash Unexplained podcast, to Day to Get Started, That's t e L a d oc dot com slash unexplained podcast. When White finally arrived at the fort, it was some relief to find it completely deserted, with no sign of the

settlers nor their remains. The place had changed significantly since White had last been there, with all the houses having been destroyed or removed entirely, and all about it a heavily fortified palisade section made from large tree trunks had been installed, as if the settlers had been preparing for a raid. Then he saw it the word crow aten in full, this time clearly carved five feet up from the floor into the bark of a large wooden post.

White looked frantically for any sign of a cross carved above it, a sign that the colonists had been forcefully run out, but he found none. White sunk to his knees with relief, as he explained to Captain Cook soon after. This was the prearranged signal between him and the colonists, a message to tell him where they'd gone, should they ever have to leave. As the men investigated the rest of the ruined fort, they found a number of heavy materials stacked up in a pile that had presumably been

thought unnecessary to take with them. A series of large wooden chests were found too, dug out at the ground, with their contents long since destroyed by the weather, scattered all over the floor. White bent down to peel a piece of paper from the ground. On it was the illustration of a secotan that he had painted years before. It was all his stuff. The colonists had buried it in case he should ever return. Just then, thick dark cloud began to swirl above, as large drops of water

cascaded down upon them. It was time to head back to the ship. By the following morning, a full on storm was raging. Kirk ordered the crew to set sail for crowatoe In Island, but no sooner had they weighed anchor than the cable snapped, sending the ship on a

perilous collision course with the shore. Then, by sheer luck, the ship was suddenly pushed into a deep channel and maneuvered away from the outer bank back into the Atlantic, leaving Cook deeply shaken, running dangerously low on food and fresh water, and with only one anchor left to moor the vessel. Cook realized any attempt to reach Crowetoin would be a suicide mission. Despite White's desperate please, Kok's mind was made up. They would sail to the Caribbean to refuel,

then come back for the colonists. Those on the Moonlight, devastated by the loss of seven of their crew, decided instead to head straight back to England. Weeks later, the storm winds had forced the Hopewell not to the Caribbean as planned, but all the way to the Azores, and when the winds failed to change, Kok, putting the safety of his vessel and crew, first made the drastic decision

they would not be going back to America. On October twenty fourth, fifteen ninety John White was returned to England. He would never again travel to the New World, and the fate of his colony was destined to remain a mystery. Little is known of just what became of John White, the former governor of the second English colony of Roanoke Island.

Having given up on ever finding his daughter and granddaughter or any of the other one hundred and sixteen missing colonists, including a second baby that was borne out there as well, he is thought to have retired to Ireland, where he eventually died. In fifteen ninety four, All colonists were officially declared dead by English law, based on the fact that the last known contact with them had been more than seven years previously, though he was never registered as such.

Manteo was also assumed to have died. The ruling was of particular shock to Raleigh, as this also marked the end of his contract with Queen Elizabeth, entitling him to any riches found in the New World. Without the colony, the contract was void. As for Simon Fernandez, who so brazenly abandoned the colonists on Roanoke Island. It has never

been ascertained precisely what motivated him to do so. Some have speculated, however, that he may have been deliberately trying to sabotage the mission, as John White had suspected all along. In her book Roanoke Solving the Mystery of the Lost Colony, writer LEEH. Miller speculated that Queen Elizabeth's head spy, Sir Francis Walsingham, had enlisted Fernandez to undermine Raleigh's attempt to

establish the colony in America. Walsingham had become embittered over Raleigh's rapid rise in the court of Queen Elizabeth Simon. Fernandez is thought to have died at sea sometime in fifteen ninety Raleigh tried a number of times to locate the Lost Colony in order to validate his contract with Elizabeth, sending ships in fifteen ninety nine and again in sixteen o two, but neither made it as far as Roanoke

or Crowetoan before being forced to return to England. The sixteen o two expedition did return with some intriguing news, however, Rumors amongst the local communities of America that some of the lost colony were in fact alive and well and living with one of the East Coast communities, but by then Raleigh was facing an uncertain future. In sixteen o three, Queen Elizabeth died, and with the subsequent ascension of James the First to the throne, Raleigh was stripped of all

his rights and claims to the New World. Far worse, in July of that year, he was arrested and accused of plotting against the king. Though at first spared death due to his services to the crown, he would spend the next thirteen years locked in the Tower of London. After being pardoned, Raleigh traveled to Venezuela in search of El Dorado, the mythical city of Gold, having been given permission by the king to do so on the one condition that he avoided any hostility with ships from Spain.

When it was discovered that some of his men, against Raleigh's orders, had violated this condition, he was arrested on his return to England and this time sentenced to death. He was beheaded in October sixteen eighteen. In the years since the disappearance of the colony at Roanoke, rumors continued

to abound about just what had become of them. When the first formal English colony in America was settled at Jamestown in sixteen o seven, some of the settlers learned from people local to the area that the Roanoke colony had in fact been slaughtered by Chief winjun As people in revenge for his murder. It is often said that what is commonly known today as the United States has

its origins in the hugely controversial settlement of Jamestown. Although most of the English at the time talked with relish about the savages they had to endure and fight off while trying to establish the town, in truth, its success owed much to the generosity of the local power town people, who, when the colony was on the verge of dying out, gifted the settlers their food to help them survive in return.

Thanks to the blank canvas that America represented to Europeans, who saw in it the opportunity to create new worlds, foster new ideas, and get monetarily rich, the world and ways of those already native to it was broadly dismissed until it had been all but extinguished. The plan of those who settled at Jamestown was to establish another England

in a distant land. In the end, however, the colony of Jamestown and the people who eventually settled there would become only one of a vast array of different people and ideas that together would evolve into the nation that America is today, a place that was not born from one idea or one way of life, but from multitudes.

As for the fate of those early settlers at Roanoke, it is said that in seventeen oh one, while conducting a survey of the Mid East coast, engineer John Lawson found himself anchored off the shore of Crowetoa, An Island. Having made his way to land, he was soon after greeted by what he assumed to be a local community of Native Americans. Only they weren't like any he had ever come across before. Their skin was a little paler, their hair less dark, and their eyes unusually gray in color.

These people claimed, apparently that some of their ancestors, more pale skinned than them, had arrived a hundred years before from a country very far away. If you enjoy listening to Unexplained and would like to help supporters, you can now go to Unexplained Podcast dot com. Forward Slash support. All donations, no matter how large or small, are massively appreciated. All elements of Unexplained are produced by me, Richard McClain Smith.

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To make time for you. Teledoc gives you access to a licensed therapist to help you get back to feeling your best. Speak to a licensed therapist by phone or video anytime between seven am to nine pm local time, seven days a week. Teledoc Therapy is available through most insurance or employers. Download the app or visitteldoc dot com. Forward Slash Unexplained Podcast Today to get started. That's t e l a d oc dot com. Slash Unexplained Podcast