1942 — Mar 26, tanker Dixie Arrow torpedoed, U-boat off Diamond Shoals Light Buoy, NC– 11

–11 Gentile, Gary. Shipwrecks of North Carolina – from Hatteras Inlet South. 1992, p. 63.
–11 NOAA, Monitor National Marine Sanctuary. Dixie Arrow.
–11 Stick, D. Graveyard of the Atlantic: Shipwrecks of the North Carolina Coast. 1952, p.236.

Narrative Information

NOAA, Monitor National Marine Sanctuary: “Dixie Arrow”

“….Vessel Type: Tanker
“Length: 468.3 feet Breadth: 62.7 feet
“Gross Tonnage: 8,046 Cargo: 86,136 barrels of crude oil
“Built: 1921, New York Shipbuilding Corp., Gloucester City, New Jersey, USA
“….Port of Registry: New York, New York, USA
“Owner: Socony Vacuum Oil Co., Inc., New York, USA
“….Date Lost: March 26, 1942
“Sunk By: U-71
“Survivors: 22 of 33 survived (11 dead)

“Wreck Site. Today, Dixie Arrow rests in 90 feet of water, 15 miles south of the Hatteras Inlet.

“Historical Background. Between 1923 and 1931, Dixie Arrow serviced the three largest oil producing and consuming centers of the United States: the North Atlantic states, states bordering the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Coast states, particularly California. Dixie Arrow’s coastal route did not change with Europe’s or the United States’ entrance into World War II. The tanker continued to move petroleum products between Texas and the North Atlantic states operating in locations susceptible to enemy attack.

“On March 19, 1942, Dixie Arrow departed Texas City, Texas, with a cargo of 86,136 barrels of crude oil for Paulsboro, New Jersey. At dawn on March 26, 1942, U-71 was working near the Diamond Shoals Light Buoy hoping to intercept targets when it spotted Dixie Arrow. U-71 fired two torpedoes that slammed into Dixie Arrow’s starboard side. In less than a minute the tanker was fatally damaged and engulfed in flames. Dixie Arrow’s crew had no warning and was unprepared for U-71’s violent attack. Of the 33 man crew only 22 survived.

Sources

Gentile, Gary. Shipwrecks of North Carolina – from Hatteras Inlet South. Philadelphia: Gary Gentile Productions, 1992.

NOAA, Monitor National Marine Sanctuary. Dixie Arrow. Accessed 2-12-2021 at: https://monitor.noaa.gov/shipwrecks/dixie_arrow.html

Stick, David. Graveyard of the Atlantic: Shipwrecks of the North Carolina Coast. 1952. Partially digitized by Google at: http://books.google.com/books?id=jjZXyzPrhpgC&pg=PA242&dq=Stick,+David.++Graveyard+of+the+Atlantic:+Shipwrecks+of+the+North+Carolina+Coast.+1952,&cd=1#v=onepage&q=&f=false