76 www.ReadMPM.com | www.MountPleasantMagazine.com | www.MountPleasantPodcast.com food and beverage On Sept. 21, 1989, Hurricane Hugo slammed onto the shores of coastal Carolina. When the eye passed over Shem Creek, the water kept rising until it covered 8 feet of shoreline. Encroaching winds ripped a derelict North Atlanticstyle trawler called the Richard & Charlene from its mooring at the Wando Dock and hurled it across a neighboring dock and into an icehouse. Its deck planking folded like an accordion. Once the terror passed, receding waters revealed that the trawler had impaled its massive bulk on the bare pilings. For the next nine months the ruined ship remained stuck, washed over twice a day by the high tides. Finally, salvagers removed the vessel, which was never to sail again. It is in memory of this indelible event that the existing restaurant on the same site was named The Wreck of the Richard & Charlene. After 36 years of operation, the iconic Wreck has become as much of a legend as the ruined ship for which it is named. Named the “Most Beloved Seafood Restaurant” in South Carolina by Finance Buzz in March 2025, the seafood shack is renowned for its fried shrimp, bone-in fried flounder, scallops, oysters, deviled crab, grouper, mahi-mahi or fresh catch of the day, which are served as platters with red rice, coleslaw, hush puppies and fried hominy squares, combos with the same sides or a la carte. According to co-owner Allison Cagle, “The Wreck uses fresh seafood daily. Either local shrimpers bring their catch to us or we go to them. We fill up an Igloo cooler and use everything we have until it sells out. Then we start over the next day.” Cagle, along with her husband Hank Cagle and sister Ann Warner, bought the Wreck in 2017 when the restaurant’s founder, Mr. Scott, retired. “The Wreck is a family business,” she explained. “I’m the office manager and Ann runs the front of the house. Our kids came up in the food and beverage industry and our nieces and nephews in their 20s and 30s still help out when we need an extra pair of hands.” Behind the scenes, the Wreck’s busy kitchen is a well-oiled machine. Cagle said that’s because, “As my sister Ann and I have been restaurateurs for over half of our lives, we’ve learned to embrace the KISS strategy, Reeling It In The Wreck of the Richard & Charlene seafood catches high praise BY SARAH ROSE
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