AH-WR-1783

Kyzikes

Tanker · Lost 1927 · The Outer Banks

A converted oil carrier wrecked off Kill Devil Hills in December 1927 and later became part of the Triangle Wrecks.

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Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents. See the documented evidence.

Interpretive Reconstruction, drawn to convey the vessel's era, type and general form. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

Completed at Lorain in 1900 as Paraguay, the coastal carrier was converted to an oil carrier after purchase by the Pew family and Sun Oil Company in 1902. It was renamed Kyzikes in August 1927. On December 1, 1927, it grounded off Kill Devil Hills during a heavy gale after flooding and boiler failure, becoming a total loss. Four of twenty aboard died; lifesavers rescued the remaining crew. Army bombing practice and the grounding of Carl Gerhard further damaged the wreck in 1929.

Vessel

Built: 1900
Registry: Hull no. 303
Builder: American Shipbuilding Co.; A.B. Wolvin credited in NOAA narrative
Yard: Lorain, Ohio
Material: Not established
Length: 292 ft
Beam: 42 ft
Tonnage: 2,627 gross tons
Propulsion: Steam; quadruple-expansion engine
Owners: Costi and Michael Xydia; Peter Paramythiotis (NOAA ownership listing)

Loss

Date: December 1, 1927
Cause: Grounding
Location: Shoal off Kill Devil Hills, near milepost 7
Water: Atlantic Ocean
Voyage: Baltimore, Maryland → Spain
Cargo: Crude oil
Aboard: 20
Lives lost: 4
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: 20 ft
Condition: Broken remains below the waterline, including quadruple-expansion engine and two boilers; sand cover changes with storms and season.
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: Not established
Protection: Not established

Position

Coordinates: Not established
Accuracy: Position not established
Nearest: Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina
Region: The Outer Banks

NOAA publishes conflicting latitudes: 36°06′52.7″ N (36.11464) versus decimal 36.06464, with longitude 75°40′06.0″ W (-75.66833). Coordinates are omitted pending resolution; no corrected wreck position is asserted.

Evidence

Overall confidence: Documented (88/100)

NOAA’s decimal and degrees-minutes-seconds latitudes conflict; flag, hull material and exact deckhouse arrangement are not established in the reviewed narrative.

NOAA Monitor National Marine Sanctuary — Kyzikes
Full vessel dimensions, construction/service history, dated final casualty, wreck condition, published location and subsequent demolition or damage; artwork evidence and coordinate limitations recorded above.