AH-WR-0596

SS Benjamin Brewster

Steam Tanker · United States · Lost 1942 · The Gulf of Mexico

An Esso tanker torpedoed at anchor off Louisiana, burning for nine days after German U-67's attack killed more than half her crew.

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Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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

Benjamin Brewster was a Standard Oil tanker built in 1917 that operated in Gulf and Atlantic coastal trade. On the night of July 10, 1942, while anchored close to shore about 60 miles west of Southwest Pass, Louisiana, she was struck by two torpedoes from the German submarine U-67 and burst into flames. She sank within three minutes in about 37 feet of water and burned for nine days as her cargo consumed itself. Twenty-five of her 40 aboard were killed, mostly from burns; survivors reached Grand Isle, Louisiana. The wreck was salvaged in 1951.

Vessel

Built: 1917
Builder: Harlan and Hollingsworth Corporation
Yard: Wilmington, Delaware
Material: Steel
Length: 427 ft
Beam: 53 ft
Tonnage: 5950
Propulsion: Steam, triple expansion, single screw
Owners: Standard Oil Company of New Jersey

Loss

Date: July 10, 1942
Cause: Enemy action
Location: About 60 miles west of Southwest Pass, Louisiana, close to shore
Water: Gulf of Mexico
Voyage: Not established
Cargo: Petroleum cargo, which caught fire on impact
Aboard: 40
Lives lost: 25
Master: Captain Peter George J. Hammel

The Wreck Today

Depth: 37 ft
Condition: Burned for nine days after sinking; salvaged in September 1951 and broken up.
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: Not established
Protection: Not established

Position

Coordinates: 29.08° N 90.12° W
Accuracy: Approximate position
Nearest: Grand Isle, Louisiana
Region: The Gulf of Mexico

The ship's log recorded the torpedoing position as Latitude 29°05' N, Longitude 90°07' W, about 2.5 miles off Grand Isle, Louisiana; the wreck itself was salvaged in 1951 and its precise current remains are not separately charted.