Ashkhabad
Tanker · Soviet Union · Lost 1942 · The Outer Banks
A Soviet tanker torpedoed off Cape Lookout in 1942; all 47 aboard, including three women, were saved.
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The Vessel and Her Loss
Ashkhabad was built in 1917 at Glasgow by Harland and Wolff as the standard cargo ship War Hostage and carried six names before becoming a Soviet tanker. On April 30, 1942, travelling empty from New York to Cuba under escort, she was torpedoed by U-402 off Cape Lookout and settled by the stern in shallow water. All 47 aboard, including three women, were rescued by HMS Lady Elsa and landed at Morehead City. The wreck was later demolished as a navigation hazard.
Vessel
- 1917
- Harland and Wolff Ltd.
- Glasgow, Scotland
- Steel
- 401 ft
- 52.3 ft
- 5,284 gross tons
- Steam, triple expansion
- Not established
Loss
- April 30, 1942
- Enemy action
- 18 miles south of Cape Lookout
- Atlantic Ocean
- New York → Cuba
- In ballast
- 47
- 0
- Alexey Pavlovitch
The Wreck Today
- 55-60
- Widely dispersed low-relief scatter after wartime demolition and wire dragging; three boilers are the highest point.
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
Position
- Not established
- Position not established
- Cape Lookout, North Carolina
Precise wreck position not taken into this record.
Evidence
Overall confidence: Well documented (90/100)
The wreck's precise position is not taken into this record.
NOAA Monitor National Marine Sanctuary
Particulars, loss date, attacker and survivors. Site depth and condition.
Attack narrative, route, cargo and complement.
