A rusty barge on the Brunswick River went from eyesore to local lore
The Wilmington area has lost lots of landmarks over the decades.
One of the more curious sights that's no longer with us? The so-called USS Belville, later controversially re-christened the USS Leland. (More on that in in a minute).
For those of you who moved to Wilmington or northern Brunswick County less than 30 years ago, the "USS Belville" was a rusty old barge that sat in the Brunswick River off U.S. 17 South and U.S. 74/76 West, just before the exit into Leland and Belville.
Until it sank in 1995, the barge was clearly visible to passers-by on the highway.
According to a 2009 StarNews story, the 185-foot steel barge was built in 1907 at Port Richmond, New York, and named the Harry J. Sheridan. After sinking in the harbor at Norfolk, Virginia, the barge was raised and for reasons lost to time towed to this area, where it ran (or was run) aground in the Brunswick River and more or less abandoned.
Graffiti artists gave it several pithy monikers over the years, including "Down South Junki." The name that stuck, however, came after Belville was incorporated in 1977 and someone painted "USS Belville" on the barge in large, white letters. As noted by retired StarNews reporter Ben Steelman in his 2009 story, the name was both a dig at Belville's tiny size and likely a reference to the nearby USS North Carolina, aka the Battleship North Carolina.
With its highly visible location combined with its decrepit appearance, the USS Belville quickly became a part of local lore. The '80s were the heyday for the barge, a time when local radio DJs in Wilmington would run gag giveaways for USS Belville cruise tickets.
In 1983 a Wilmington rock band called The Ravens played a concert on the ship's deck with the aid of a generator, possibly inspired by The Beatles' historic 1969 rooftop concert.
Here's where the controversy comes in. Perhaps because of their close proximity, Leland and Belville have long had a contentious relationship. The town of Leland was incorporated in 1989, partly in response to Belville increasing its size via annexation.
Not long after that, someone climbed aboard the USS Belville, crossed out the world "Belville" and "renamed" it the USS Leland.
Less than four years later in 1993, a big storm caused the boat to shift and sink almost entirely below the waterline. Two years later, the boat sank entirely.
In any event, thanks to work on the bridge that crosses from Eagles Island over the Brunswick River, the area where the barge was is no longer easily visible to most passers-by. As of 2009, the barge was still beneath the Brunswick River, with the U.S. Corps of Engineers telling the StarNews it couldn't be moved because nearby bridges made it essentially impossible to tow.
But legends never die, and the USS Belville will still exist, at least in local imaginations, for a long time yet.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: What happened to the old USS Belville or USS Leland near Wilmington?
