AH-WR-1788

Merak

Freighter · United States · Lost 1918 · The Outer Banks

Merak grounded while evading U-140 in 1918, then was sunk with explosives after all 43 crew escaped.

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Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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

Built in Rotterdam in 1910, Merak carried general cargo under Dutch ownership. The U.S. Shipping Board seized her on March 21, 1918, for wartime merchant service. On August 6, while carrying coal from Newport News toward Chile, she reportedly grounded while evading U-140 near Diamond Shoals. All 43 crew escaped before the submarine boarded and sank her with explosives. NOAA considers a nearby divided wreck likely, but not definitively identified, to be Merak.

Vessel

Built: 1910
Registry: Hull no. 25
Builder: Rotterdam Droogdok Mij.
Yard: Rotterdam, Netherlands
Material: Not established
Length: 326 ft
Beam: 46.9 ft
Tonnage: 3,024 gross tons
Propulsion: Single screw
Owners: United States Shipping Board; Van Nievelt, Goudriaan & Co. Stoomvaart Mij. N. V.

Loss

Date: August 6, 1918
Cause: Enemy action
Location: Diamond Shoals, off North Carolina
Water: Atlantic Ocean
Voyage: Newport News, Virginia → Chile
Cargo: Approximately 5,600 tons of coal
Aboard: 43
Lives lost: 0
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: Approximately 135 feet at the site believed to be Merak; identification is not definitive
Condition: At the proposed site, two large upside-down sections lie perpendicular in an L-shape with a gap of about 60 feet; the stern section is larger.
Orientation: At the proposed site the stern propeller points approximately east; the bow lies at right angles to the stern.
Discovered: Not established
Protection: Not established

Position

Coordinates: 35.14° N 75.29° W
Accuracy: Approximate position
Nearest: Diamond Shoals, North Carolina
Region: The Outer Banks

NOAA publishes this survey position for the wreck believed to be Merak; site identification is likely but not definitive, so the point is retained as approximate.

Evidence

Overall confidence: Documented (86/100)

The surveyed wreck is believed to be Merak but is not definitively identified; its depth and condition refer to the proposed site. The grounding is reported rather than independently established.

NOAA Monitor National Marine Sanctuary — Merak
Construction and vessel statistics, service history, final loss narrative and casualties, surveyed site position and condition, identification evidence and source uncertainties.