1943 — Oct 21, tankers Gulfbelle (51) & Gulfland (36) collide, ~Lake Worth Inlet, FL–87-88

— 88 Florida Memory (State Library and Archives of Florida). “Remains of the tanker Gulfland…”
— 88 ShipwreckExpo.com. Florida East Coast Shipwrecks, GulfLand Wreck.
–51 Gulfbelle (our number; notes 28 survivors both vessels out of 116, with 37 on GulfLand)
–37 Gulfland (35 crew and 2 Naval Armed Guard
— 87 AMMW. U.S. Ships Sunk or Damaged on Eastcoast of U.S., and Gulf of Mexico…WWII.
–51 Gulfbelle (31 crew and 20 armed guard)
–36 Gulfland (34 crew and 2 armed guard)

Narrative Information

AMMW: The American Merchant Marine at War page states that the GulfBelle lost a crew of 31 and an Armed Guard of 20, and that the GulfLand lost a crew of 34 and an Armed Guard of 2. Further noted is that the GulfLand was a total loss, while the GulfBelle was damaged. (AMMW. U.S. Ships Sunk or Damaged on Eastcoast of U.S., and Gulf of Mexico…WWII.)

Florida Memory: “The tanker Gulfland burned off Hobe Sound for 53 days after colliding with tanker Gulfbelle on October 21, 1943. Both were traveling without lights to avoid German submarines that hunted ships along the Florida coast. 88 men perished.”

ShipwreckExpo.com: “GulfLand Jupiter.

“The Gulf Oil tanker GulfLand was built in 1918 by New York S.B. Corporation of Camden, New Jersey. She was owned by Gulf Oil Corporation, was 391 feet long, had a 51 foot beam and displaced 5,277 gross tons. The GulfLand was powered by a 543 nph triple expansion engine.

“The GulfLand caught fire after it was rammed by the GulfBelle on October 21, 1943, off Lake Worth Inlet. At the time, she was en route from Beaumont, Texas, to Jacksonville, Florida, with a cargo of aviation gasoline. Both vessels had been running without lights in accordance with the wartime blackout.

“The bow of the GulfBelle had sliced into the port bow of the GulfLand. The GulfLand and the GulfBelle caught fire as did the water around them. According to seaman first class Joseph O’Brion in an interview with the Palm Beach Post,”

I was on watch about 10:50 PM, as we rode northward along the Gulf Stream. Suddenly I spotted another ship bearing down from the north. It appeared to be about 75 yards away. It looked as if it were going to pass us, but as the ship approached, I saw it was going to be close. I turned and started for the telephone to report it to the bridge, shouting as I ran. Before I got to the telephone, there was a crash.

A terrific explosion followed, and I was blown about ten feet across the deck. Regaining my feet, I raced through the flames and jumped overboard off the stern. I swam as fast as I could for awhile until I thought I was safe. Then I stopped to look back. Waves of flame were coming toward me. Burning gasoline covered a wide area. I could hear a lot of screaming and yelling, and I knew a lot of boys were trapped. It was awful!”

“Out of a total of 116 crewmen on both vessels, only 28 were saved. The GulfLand had a complement of 37 crew and seven Naval Armed Guards; 35 crew, including her captain and deck officers and two navy men were lost. The two burning ships eventually separated. The GulfBelle drifted away and ran aground off Jupiter inlet where her fire was extinguished. She was then towed to port.” (ShipwreckExpo.com. Florida East Coast Shipwrecks, GulfLand Wreck.)

US Navy Memorial webpage: “Gulfbelle. Thursday, October 21, 1943.
“Collision with SS Gulfland
“The collision occurred off Lake Worth Inlet, Florida while en route to Houston, Texas. Gulfbelle was showered with flaming gasoline from Gulfland. The fire was fought by a Coast Guard fire- fighting crew.”

[Blanchard note: In “Lost At Sea Log” names 30 as the “Number of sailors in this log.” It is not clear that this is all the fatalities or just those for which the compiler had names.]

US Navy Memorial webpage: “Gulfland. Thursday, October 21, 1943.
“Collision with SS Gulfbelle
“The collision occurred off Lake Worth Inlet, Florida. Gulfland was northbound when she was struck and burst into flames. When she broke free of Gulfbelle, she grounded on the wreck of the SS Republic, which had been torpedoed in February of 1942. After several days, she worked herself free and drifted aground on the beach of Hobe Sound, Florida where she burned for 52 days.” [Blanchard note: In “Lost At Sea Log” names 34 as the “Number of sailors in this log.” It is not clear that this is all the fatalities or just those for which the compiler had names.]

Sources

American Merchant Marine at War. U.S. Ships Sunk or Damaged on Eastcoast of U.S. and Gulf of Mexico During World War II. Eastcoast of U.S. (175 ships). 12-22-2010. Webpage accessed 4-11-2021 at: http://www.usmm.org/eastgulf.html

Florida Memory (State Library and Archives of Florida). “Remains of the tanker Gulfland – Hobe Sound, Florida [photoprint caption].” Accessed 4-22-2021 at: https://www.floridamemory.com/items/show/42627

ShipwreckExpo.com. Florida East Coast Shipwrecks, GulfLand Wreck. Accessed 8-30-2009 at: http://www.shipwreckexpo.com/fleastgulfland.htm

The United States Navy Memorial. Gulfbelle. Webpage accessed 4-22-2021 at: http://navylog.navymemorial.org/gulfbelle

The United States Navy Memorial. Gulfland. Webpage accessed 4-22-2021 at: http://navylog.navymemorial.org/gulfland?page=1