Joseph M. Cudahy
Steam Tanker · United States · Lost 1942 · The Gulf of Mexico
A crude oil tanker torpedoed by U-507 off southwest Florida in 1942 and later scuttled by naval gunfire as a burning hazard.
Become Captain of RecordSee Shipwreck on Map
The Vessel and Her Loss
Built in 1921, the tanker Joseph M. Cudahy was torpedoed by U-507 on May 5, 1942, while steaming from Houston to Marcus Hook with a cargo of crude oil. Fire and flooding killed 27 of her 37 crew; survivors were rescued by Navy PBY aircraft and taken to Key West. The burning hulk, considered a navigation hazard, was sunk by gunfire from USS Coral two days later.
Vessel
- 1921
- Sun Shipbuilding Co
- Chester, Pennsylvania
- Steel
- Not established
- Not established
- 6950
- Steam, single screw
- Sinclair Refining Company
Loss
- May 5, 1942
- Enemy action
- About 125 miles west of Naples, Florida
- Gulf of Mexico
- Houston, Texas → Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania
- Crude oil
- 37
- 27
- Walter Edmund Reed
The Wreck Today
- Not established
- Located in shallower waters off the Florida coast and studied by archaeologists.
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
Position
- 25.02° N 82.76° W
- Approximate position
- Naples, Florida
NOAA IncidentNews lists an approximate position of 25°1.37'N, 82°45.38'W.
Evidence
Overall confidence: Documented (85/100)
Build data, owner, incident date and cause, approximate position.
Attack narrative, casualties, rescue, and final scuttling.
