George Vancouver
Liberty Ship · United States · Lost 1976 · Texas & the Western Gulf
A WWII Liberty ship that carried supplies to the Battle of El Alamein, later sunk by storm while under tow to become one of Texas's founding reef wrecks.
Become Captain of RecordSee Shipwreck on Map
The Vessel and Her Loss
Completed on July 22, 1942, the Liberty ship George Vancouver carried supplies to Suez in support of the Battle of El Alamein and voyaged to ports across the U.S., New Zealand, Egypt, South Africa, and Australia through 1945. Two crew members were lost overboard in heavy seas in 1943. Retired after the war, she was being towed to the Freeport Liberty Ship Reef site in 1976 when she sank during a storm, settling near her intended position as an artificial reef.
Vessel
- 1942
- Not established
- Not established
- Steel
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- Steam, single screw
- War Shipping Administration; later Texas Coastal and Marine Council
Loss
- January 1, 1976
- Intentional sinking
- Freeport Liberty Ship Reef site, off Freeport, Texas
- Gulf of Mexico
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
The Wreck Today
- 55 ft
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
Position
- 28.80° N 95.35° W
- Approximate position
- Freeport, Texas
Rounded from boundary coordinates published in the TPWD George Vancouver Liberty Ship Reef brochure.
Evidence
Overall confidence: Partially documented (74/100)
The exact date of sinking in 1976 is not established in the sources reviewed.
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, George Vancouver Liberty Ship Reef brochure
Build date, wartime service, sinking circumstances, and reef site boundaries.
Confirmation of sinking during storm while under tow in 1976 and survey mapping of the site.
