1943 – Apr 3, Gulf Oil tanker Gulfstate sunk by sub, ~50m south of Marathon Key, FL– 43

–43 Helgason, Gudmundur. Ships hit by U-boats. “Gulfstate. American Steam tanker.”
–43 HyperWar. The Official Chronology of the US Navy in World War II. “Chapter V: 1943.”
–43 Tony, Allen. “Gulfstate.” SS Gulfstate (+1943). Wrecksite.eu. Accessed 3-4-2021.
–41 Williams. “On the Trail: An Independence Day tribute.” Naples Daily News, FL. 7-5-2006.
–31 Singer. Shipwrecks of Florida. 1998, p. 256.

Port Arthur, Texas:
–31 Port Arthur News, TX. “Area residents who have died at sea.” 5-20-1988, p. 31, col. 1.

Narrative Information

Helgason: “Gulfstate. American Steam tanker.”
Name: Gulfstate
Type Steam tanker
Tonnage 6,882 tons
Completed 1920 – Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corp., Alameda CA
Owner Gulf Oil Co., New York
Homeport Philadelphia
Date of attack 3 Apr 1943
Nationality: American
Fate Sunk by U-155…
Position 24⁰ 26’N, 80⁰ 18’W – Grid DM 2883
Complement 61 (43 dead and 18 survivors).
….
Route Corpus Christi, Texas (29 Mar) – Galveston – New York – Portland, Maine
Cargo 68.417 barrels of crude oil
Notes on event: At 09.03 hours on 3 April 1943 the unescorted Gulfstate (Master James
Frank Harrell, lost) was hit by two torpedoes from U-155 about 50 miles
southeast of Marathon Key, Florida while steaming a nonevasive course at 10.5 knots. The first torpedo struck on the port side directly under the bridge and ripped a large hole in the hull at the waterline, causing immediate flooding and setting the cargo on fire. The second torpedo struck at the engine room. The fire leapt 100 feet in the air and spread from the bridge to the after part of the vessel. The master ordered the engines secured and the ship abandoned, but the vessel sank bow first within four minutes. None of the lifeboats could be launched and all rafts were lost in the fire. Only a single doughnut raft managed to break free of the tanker. The eight officers, 34 crewmen and 19 armed guards (the ship was armed with one 5in, four .50cal and two .30cal guns) had to jump in the water and swim through 600 feet of burning oil surrounding the tanker. The survivors clung to flotsam and the single raft for seven hours before being discovered by a US Navy blimp, which dropped two rubber life rafts. An US Coast Guard seaplane picked up three of the most seriously wounded two hours later and took them to Miami. One hour later the remaining 15 survivors (five of them wounded) were picked up by the American patrol craft USS YP-351. Three of the wounded were later transferred to USS Noa (DD 343) for medical treatment. All survivors were landed at Key West. Eight officers, 26 crewmen and nine armed guards were lost.”

[Details on 38 of those who were onboard can be accessed at: https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship2842.html ]

(Helgason, Gudmundur. Ships hit by U-boats. “Gulfstate. American Steam tanker.”)

HyperWar: “3 April, Sat….Atlantic. German submarine U-155 torpedoes and sinks U.S. tanker Gulfstate off Key West, Florida, 24°22’N, 80°27’W. USCG plane rescues three survivors, district patrol craft YP-351 15; 34 merchant seamen and 9 Armed Guard sailors perish with the ship.”
(HyperWar. The Official Chronology of the US Navy in World War II. “Chapter V: 1943.”)

Singer: “Gulfstate – Steam tanker, owned by Gulf Oil, 6,882 tons, built in 1920 at Alameda, Calif., 435′ x 56′ x 33.8′. Torpedoed by U 155, April 3, 1943, at Lat. 24-26-00, Long. 80-18-00. Loss of 31 of 49 crew on board.” (Shipwrecks of Florida. 1998, p. 256.)

Newspaper

May 20, 1988, Port Arthur News: “Area residents who have died at sea.”
“….SS Gulfstate, sank April 3, 1943: Capt. James J. Harrell, Day Beachum, John Boulware, John Christophersen, Kenneth Cox, Charles Custer, Clinton Diffendorfer, Elmer Flick, William Hale, Bertram Hale, Bertram Hall, Raymond Hefter, James Jospeh, Lewis Joseph, Peter Lima, Adrian McCann, Juan Mendez, William Muise, Eugene Murphy, Ronald Neault, William Ng, George Poole, Melford Porter, Thomas Porter, Christopher Serrano, Percy Stampley, Charles Tally Jr., Kristian Tiseth, Salvatore Tricome, Maurice Warren, William Williams.” (Port Arthur News, TX. “Area residents who have died at sea.” 5-20-1988, p. 31, col. 1.)

Sources

Helgason, Gudmundur. Ships hit by U-boats. “Gulfstate. American Steam tanker.” Accessed 3-4-2021 at: https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/ship/2842.html

HyperWar. The Official Chronology of the US Navy in World War II. “Chapter V: 1943.” Accessed 3-4-2021 at: https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/USN-Chron/USN-Chron-1943.html

NOAA, Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, Office of Response and Restoration. Screening Level Risk Assessment Package. Gulfstate. March 2013. Accessed 3-4-2021 at: https://nmssanctuaries.blob.core.windows.net/sanctuaries-prod/media/archive/protect/ppw/pdfs/gulfstate.pdf

Port Arthur News, TX. “Area residents who have died at sea.” 5-20-1988, p. 31, col. 1. Accessed 3-4-2021 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/port-arthur-news-may-20-1988-p-31/

Singer, Steven D. Shipwrecks of Florida: A Comprehensive Listing (2nd Ed.). Sarasota, FL: Pineapple Press, Inc., 1998. Partially digitized by Google. Accessed 2-16-2021 at: http://books.google.com/books?id=6j6kjZQReqkC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_navlinks_s#v=onepage&q=&f=false

Tony, Allen. “Gulfstate.” SS Gulfstate (+1943). Wrecksite.eu. Accessed 3-4-2021. Accessed 3-4-2021 at: https://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?16806

Williams, Tom. “On the Trail: An Independence Day tribute.” Naples Daily News, FL. 7-5-2006. Accessed 3-4-2021 at: http://archive.naplesnews.com/community/on-the-trail-an-independence-day-tribute-ep-406171920-333231391.html/