1963 — Feb 4, SS Marine Sulphur Queen disappears, probably between Cuba and so. FL-39

— 39 Singer, S. D. Shipwrecks of Florida: A Comprehensive Listing (2nd Ed.), 1998, p. 229.
— 39 USCG. Commandant’s Action… disappearance…Marine Sulphur Queen…, 1964, p. 1.

Narrative Information

Singer: “Marine Sulphur Queen – A converted T-2 tanker, of Wilmington, 7,240 tons, built in 1944 at Chester, Pa., 504’ x 68.2’ x 39.4’. Her conversion was widely publicized as a breakthrough in transportation of liquid sulphur at high temperature. She left Beaumont, Texas, Feb. 2, 1963, with a crew of 39, bound for Norfolk, Va., with a full load of molten sulphur. On Feb 4, she sent a routine radio call while approximately 270 miles from Key West. She was never heard from again. On Feb. 20, a Navy vessel retrieved some identifiable floating wreckage from the Marine Sulphur Queen, about 12 miles southwest of Key West, though no trace of the ship was ever found. What happened to her remains a mystery.” (Singer 1998, 229-230.)

USCG: “….2. The SS Marine Sulphur Queen, a T2-SE-A1 type tank vessel of U.S. Registry, converted to carry molten sulphur, departed Beaumont, Texas, with a full cargo of 15,260 tons on the afternoon of 2 February 1963 enroute Norfolk, Va. The ship and crew of 39 men disappeared. The vessel was last heard from at 0125 EST on 4 February 1963….

“6. Commencing in the late summer of 1962 and continuing until the vessel sailed on its last voyage, molten sulphur leaked from the insulation at the after end of No. 4 tank on each loaded voyage. The amount of sulphur was so great that it was necessary for the crew to remove the solidified sulphur on each return voyage to keep it from plugging the bilge suctions. When the vessel sailed on its last voyage, an estimated 20 to 70 tons of solidified sulphur remained in the bilges at the after end of No. 4 tank. A witness stated that this sulphur was either coming out of insulation which was not removed during the repairs made in January of 1962 or coming from a leaking flange….

“8. Numerous fires had occurred in the sulphur-impregnated insulation in the void spaces. These fires were of a local nature seldom covering an area of more than a few square feet, and caused little or no apprehension on the part of the crew. They were extinguished with the steam smothering system and fresh water. Commencing in October of 1962, these fires occurred with increasing frequency. Witnesses stated that during a voyage in the latter part of December, 1962, fires burned almost continuously in the insulation at the after end of No. 4 tank, and at least one fire occurred in the void space of No. 1 tank. Before the last voyage, the cowl type ventilators from the after pump room had been removed and canvas covers installed to reduce the loss of steam from the fixed fire extinguishing system. The power ventilation for the voids was used only in port….

“10. The ship was drydocked and inspected by the Coast Guard in January, 1962. It was inspected for certification by the Coast Guard in January, 1963. However, the cargo tanks, void spaces surrounding the cargo tanks, and wing tanks were not inspected at this latter time in view of the vessel’s scheduled March, 1963 yard period for drydocking and repairs….

“12. The ship departed Sabine Bar Seabuoy at 1900, CST, 2 February 1963, for Norfolk, Virginia, expecting to arrive at noon, on 7 February 1963….At 0125, EST, 4 February 1963, a personal message from a crew member was transmitted by the vessel and received by RCA radio. This is the last known radio contact with the vessel. At this time the estimated position of the ship was 25⁰45N’, 86⁰W. At 1123, EST, 4 February, RCA radio made the first of two unsuccessful attempts to contact the ship….

“13. At 2100, EST, 7 February 1963, the SS Marine Sulphur Queen was reported overdue to the Commander, 5th Coast Guard District, Portsmouth, Va. An intense air and surface search was mounted along the trackline of the ship from Beaumont, Texas, through the Straits of Florida to Norfolk, Va. ….

“14. On 20 February 1963, a life preserver and fog horn stenciled with he Marine Sulphur Queen’s name were retrieved by a U.S. Navy vessel 12 miles southwest of Key West, Fla. A second search was commenced concentrating on the eastern part of the Gulf of Mexico, the Straits of Florida and the Bahamas. The U.S. Navy conducted an underwater search for the vessel’s hulk during the period 20 February through 13 March 1963. During the search additional debris was retrieved and identified as coming from the SS Marine Sulphur Queen. On 14 March 1963, after all efforts to locate the ship had failed, the search was again discontinued.

REMARKS

“….2. Concurring with the Board, the vessel apparently was lost on 4 February 1963 on its approach to, or in the vicinity of, the Straits of Florida.

“3. Further concurring with the Board, in the absence of survivors or physical remains of the ship, the exact cause of the loss of the Marine Sulphur Queen cannot be determined.

“4. The Board considered many possibilities which my have caused the loss of the ship and rightly declined to assign any order of probability to these causes. In its conclusions the Board commented on the following possible causes:

a. An explosion may have occurred in the cargo tanks
b. A complete failure of the vessel’s hull girder may have caused it to break in two
c. The vessel hay have capsized in synchronous rolling
d. A steam explosion may have occurred as the result of a rapid filling of the void space with water.
….
“5. Another possible cause for the loss of the vessel and one which the Board did not comment upon concerns the possibility of an explosion in the void space surrounding the cargo tanks. Hydrogen sulphide and carbon disulphide gases released by agitated molten sulphur as well as sulphur vapor could have entered the void spaces in sufficient quantities to have formed an explosive mixture. The recent history of fires in the insulation of No. 4 tank indicates that a source of ignition existed. A continuing study of this possibility is being made….

“7. The Board’s recommendation that the same conversion of another T2 type tanker should not be approved is concurred in….” (USCG. Commandant’s Action on Marine Board of Investigation; disappearance of the SS Marine Sulphur Queen at sea on or about 4 February 1963 with the presumed loss of all persons on board. 1964.)

Sources

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

United States Coast Guard. Commandant’s Action on Marine Board of Investigation; disappearance of the SS Marine Sulphur Queen at sea on or about 4 February 1963 with the presumed loss of all persons on board. Washington, DC: Commandant, U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters. 3-17-1964. Accessed 3-3-2021 at: https://www.dco.uscg.mil/Portals/9/DCO%20Documents/5p/CG-5PC/INV/docs/boards/marsulqueen.pdf