1937 — Aug 30-Sep 1, tropical cyclone, freighter SS Tarpon sinks off Panama City, FL– 18

–~20 Panama City News-Herald, FL. “Tarpon Search Is Abandoned.” 9-6-1937, p. 1.
— 7 bodies recovered
–~14 missing
— 18 Panama City News-Herald, FL. “U.S. Opens Tarpon Shipwreck Probe.” 9-4-1937, p. 1.
— 7 bodies recovered
–11 missing
— 18 Panama City News-Herald. “New Boat Will Take Tarpon’s Schedule Soon.” 9-8-1937, 1.
— 18 Panama City News-Herald. “Survivors Tell of Sinking of Ship Tarpon.” 9-9-1937, p. 1.
— 18 Panama City News-Herald. “Oil Still Bubbles From Sunken Tarpon Wreck.” 9-17-1937, p.1.
— 5 known dead
–13 lost
— 18 Wreck Site. “SS Tarpon (+1937).” Accessed 9-9-2022.
— 15 Dunn, Gordon E. and Banner I. Miller. Atlantic Hurricanes (Revised). 1964, p. 317.
–~15 Hurd. “Tropical Disturbances on the North Atlantic Ocean, August 1937.” MWR, Aug 1937, 303.
— 15 Sarasota Herald. “Swims 25 Miles…The Coastwise Freighter Tarpon…” 9-5-1937, p.1.

Narrative Information

Dunn and Miller: “1937 Aug. 30-31 Northeast coast Minor 15 sailors drowned Panama City.” (Atlantic Hurricanes. “Table 29. Tropical Cyclones in Florida,” p. 317.)

Newspapers

Sep 2, Panama City News-Herald, FL: “A lone shipwrecked seaman swam all day yesterday, last night and until 10 a.m. today to reach shore near Panama City and bring here word that the freighter Tarpon sank yesterday [Sep 1] in high seas. All the rest of the crew of ten white men and 15 negroes are feared drowned. The last seen of Captain W. G. Barrow, famous along the Northwest Florida seacoast as a seaman for half a century, he was being supported to stay on the surface of the water by one of his officers.

“Addley Baker, oiler, of Mobile, Ala., swam from the time of the sinking yesterday at 8:45 a.m., throughout the day and last night reaching shore about 10 a.m. somewhere near Phillips Inlet. He made his way to the Gulf Coast highway and hitch-hiked a ride into Panama City to report to the Tarpon agency here. ‘The Tarpon was fighting high seas when suddenly she listed to the starboard side then lunged forward on her nose and sank within about two minutes time,’ oiler Baker said.

“The fortunate seaman said there was no time to launch lifeboats and only a few obtained life preservers as there was a wild scramble while the decks dropped from under them and disappeared under the foaming waters. ‘I looked around me and the men were holding to pieces of cargo and parts of the ship floating about, then I started swimming in the general direction of land.’ Baker, only about 25 years old, though he has been going to sea since he was a boy, described his long swim of 25 hours with the lack of emotion customary to men of the sea accustomed to the dangers of angry seas. ‘I would swim awhile then rest, and swim again.’ He explained. Baker said he was one of the few fortunate enough to grab a life preserver.

“Baker said when he left the group of survivors Captain Barrow was being supported to stay on the surface of the sea by his chief engineer, Boyd Mattair of Carrabelle.

“The first mate is a St. Andrew’s man, L. E. Danford, who is well known in Panama City. His fate is among those unknown.

“The names of the others could not be learned, except that the second mate was named Russell, and George Wolf is clerk, while his son, George, Jr., is assistant clerk. Most of the crew is from Pensacola….” (Panama City News-Herald. “Tarpon Sinks; 24 Are Feared Lost.” 9-2-1937, p.1.)

Sep 3, AP: “(By the Associated Press) The Coast Guard cutter Triton found the body of an unidentified negro near East Pass this morning. Coincidentally it was announced that it has been definitely established there were 31 persons aboard the Tarpon, with 15 now accounted for and 16 unaccounted for.

“Sixteen negroes today were still missing as result of the Tarpon shipwreck which is definitely known to have taken the lives of the captain and second mate, although eight white men and four negroes were rescued or saved themselves.

“The bodies of Captain W. G. Barrow, of Pensacola, 81-year-old veteran of the sea, and Second Mate W. H. Russell, of Apalachicola, both of whom drowned, were recovered and taken to Pensacola last night from Destin where they were taken ashore by fishing boats doing rescue work.

“Seven white survivors were taken to Pensacola from the scene of the tragedy by a Coast Guard cutter while the eighth white survivor, Addley Baker, of Mobile, is in the Panama City hospital here. Two of the four rescued negroes are in the Lisenby hospital here. They are Dozier White, cook aboard the ship, and whose wife is among the missing, and Clarence Reed, who are reported in serious conditions from shock and exposure.

“The Coast Guard cutter Triton carried to Pensacola from Destin the body of Captain Barrow and the following survivors: George G. Wolfe, Mobile, clerk, and his son, W. R. Wolfe, also clerk; Nixon Davis, St. Andrews, Fla., seaman; William C. Knight, Carrabelle, second engineer; L. E. Danford, St. Andrews, first mate; Cecil Smith, fireman, Mobile; Lloyd B. Mattair, Carrabelle, chief engineer, and George Boykin, negro, Mobile. All were taken to Pensacola hospital. The hospital reported them suffering from serious shock but their conditions were not critical. Clyde McMillan, negro fireman, was taken to Pensacola from Destin by an ambulance.

“The Tarpon was due in Panama City Wednesday morning. When her delay extended into Thursday morning the Coast Guard plane Victor was sent from Biloxi and the cutter Kimbrall from Mobile to search for her….

“Captain Barrow was making his 1,735th trip with the Tarpon when it sank. He was widely credited with the saying that ‘God makes the weather and I make the trips,’ but he had denied this repeatedly, explaining that he said ‘God makes the weather and with His help, I make the trips.’

“The Tarpon was built in 1887 at Wilmington, Del., and was brought to the Northwest Florida Gulf Coast by Captain Barrow in 1904 from Philadelphia. The ship had been in coastwise servicer under Captain Barrow ever since. It was about 160 feet long….” (Panama City News-Herald, FL. “16 Still Missing in Tarpon Tragedy.” 9-3-1937, p. 1.)

Sep 4, Panama City News-Herald: “The Coast Guard and volunteer searchers scanned the Gulf of Mexico and shoreline between Panama City and Destin today in a virtual hopeless search for at least 11 persons still missing in the Tarpon shipwreck after three more bodies were recovered yesterday. This brought the total bodies recovers so far to seven….

“A…tradition of the sea, ‘women and children first,’ was also upheld when the lone woman aboard, the wife of Dozier White, negro steward, was placed in the one lifeboat that fell free of the sinking vessel. She was drowned when found yesterday by the Coast Guard, though the body was still in the lifeboat with a negro himself almost drowned. No children were aboard.

“The steward and Clarence Reed, neither of whom could swim, clung to bits of wreckage and washed ashore two days later. They came to Panama City where they were put in a hospital night before last suffering from shock and exposure. They returned to Pensacola today.” (Panama City News-Herald, FL. “U.S. Opens Tarpon Shipwreck Probe.” 9-4-1937, p. 1.)

Sep 6, Panama City News-Herald: “….the Coast Guard announced it had abandoned its search for survivors of the Tarpon disaster in which seven are known to have perished and about 14 are still missing. Little hope was held by guardsmen that any of the missing sailors would be found alive. Chances for their survival in the open waters of the Gulf of Mexico were slim this long after the tragedy, they said….” (Panama City News-Herald, FL. “Tarpon Search Is Abandoned.” 9-6-1937, p. 1.)

Sources

Dunn, Gordon E. and Banner I. Miller. Atlantic Hurricanes (Revised Edition). Baton Rouge LA: Louisiana State University Press, 1964, 377 pages.

Hurd, Willis E. (Weather Bureau, Washington DC). “Tropical Disturbances on the North Atlantic Ocean, August 1937.” MWR, Aug 1937, pp. 303-304. Accessed 9-9-2022 at: file:///C:/Users/Wayne/Downloads/[15200493%20-%20Monthly%20Weather%20Review]%20TROPICAL%20DISTURBANCES%20ON%20THE%20NORTH%20ATLANTIC%20OCEAN,%20AUGUST%201937.pdf

Panama City News-Herald, FL. “16 Still Missing in Tarpon Tragedy.” 9-3-1937, p. 1. Accessed 9-9-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/panama-city-herald-sep-03-1937-p-1/

Panama City News-Herald, FL. “New Boat Will Take Tarpon’s Schedule Soon.” 9-8-1937, 1. Accessed 9-9-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/panama-city-news-herald-sep-08-1937-p-1/

Panama City News-Herald. “Oil Still Bubbles From Sunken Tarpon Wreck.” 9-17-1937, p.1. Accessed 9-9-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/panama-city-news-herald-sep-17-1937-p-1/

Panama City News-Herald, FL. “Survivors Tell of Sinking of Ship Tarpon.” 9-9-1937, p. 1. Accessed 9-9-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/panama-city-herald-sep-09-1937-p-9/

Panama City News-Herald, FL. “Tarpon Search Is Abandoned.” 9-6-1937, p. 1. Accessed 9-9-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/panama-city-news-herald-sep-06-1937-p-1/

Panama City News-Herald, FL. “Tarpon Sinks; 24 Are Feared Lost.” 9-2-1937, p. 1. Accessed 9-9-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/panama-city-herald-sep-02-1937-p-1/

Panama City News-Herald, FL. “U.S. Opens Tarpon Shipwreck Probe.” 9-4-1937, p. 1. Accessed 9-9-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/panama-city-herald-sep-04-1937-p-1/

Sarasota Herald, FL. “Swims 25 Miles…The Coastwise Freighter Tarpon…” 9-5-1937, p. 1. Accessed 9-9-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/sarasota-herald-sep-05-1937-p-1/

Wreck Site. “SS Tarpon (+1937).” Accessed 9-9-2022 at: https://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?26176