John Worthington (ship)

John Worthington

Ship data flag  United States Ship type Tanker home port Wilmington Shipyard GM Standifer Construction Corporation, Vancouver Build number 16 Launch November 15, 1920 Whereabouts Lydia Ann Channel, Port Aransas , dropped

Ship dimensions and crew length 145.62 m ( Lüa ) 141.20 m ( Lpp ) width 18.30 m measurement 8,194 GRT   crew 56

Machine system machine 1 × four cylinder expansion steam engine Machine performance 2,800 hp (2,059 kW) Top speed 9.9 kn (18 km / h) propeller 1

Transport capacities Load capacity 12,475 dw Volume 62,898 m³

The John Worthington was an oil tanker owned by the Standard Oil Company .

history

The steamship , built under construction number 16 at the Standifer shipyard in Vancouver , Washington State , was launched on November 15, 1920 as one of a total of five identical ships . It was completed in December 1920. The ship was around 145 meters long and measured at 8,194  GRT . The volume of the cargo tanks was 89,851  barrels . The bridge of the two-island ship was about at the end of the front ship-third, while another is superstructure and engine room and chimney were in the aft section of the ship.

The ship was torpedoed on May 28, 1943 by the German submarine U 154 , while it was traveling north in a convoy accompanied by ships of the US Navy off Brazil . The explosion tore a hole about 10 × 3 meters in the side of the ship on the port side of the ship.

Aransas Pass Light Station on the Lydia Ann Channel

There were only minor injuries among the 56-man crew . Despite the hole in the hull , the John Worthington stayed in the convoy and drove with it to Port of Spain on Trinidad . There the ship was examined. Since there was no suitable local repair facility, the ship went to Galveston , Texas . Because of the severe damage to the hull, it was finally decided not to repair the ship anymore. The ship was then anchored in the Lydia Ann Channel near the Aransas Pass Light Station (Lydia Ann Lighthouse) at Port Aransas . It sank there later.

wreck

When the water is clear, you can see the wreck underwater. It is located at the coordinates 27 ° 51 ′ 45.9 ″  N , 97 ° 3 ′ 0.5 ″  W Coordinates: 27 ° 51 ′ 45.9 ″  N , 97 ° 3 ′ 0.5 ″  W and lies in only about 8 meters deep. The wreck is well suited for kayakers, snorkelers and divers.

The ship is an unofficial part of the Texas Artificial Reefs program of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department .

Footnotes

1. ↑ ^{a b c} John Worthington - (1920-1943) , Auke Visser's International Esso Tankers site.
2. ^ ^{A b} SS John Worthington: From WW II Working-class Heroe to Artificial Reef , Auke Visser's International Esso Tankers site.
3. ↑ ^{a b c} S.S. John Worthington (Shipwreck) , Travel South Texas.
4. ↑ SS John Worthington WWII Tanker Wreck , Texas Artificial Reefs, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (PDF file, 730 kB).