SS Black Point
Collier · United States · Lost 1945 · Cape Cod & Nantucket Shoals
This coal collier was torpedoed by U-853 off Point Judith in the last days of World War II, killing twelve of her crew.
Become Captain of RecordSee Shipwreck on Map
The Vessel and Her Loss
The collier Black Point was steaming past Point Judith, Rhode Island, with a cargo of coal on May 5, 1945, when she was torpedoed by the German submarine U-853, one of the last U-boats operating off the American coast. The attack, which killed twelve of her crew, touched off the Battle of Point Judith, in which American warships hunted down and sank U-853 the next day. Thirty-four survivors were rescued by a nearby steamer and Coast Guard vessels.
Vessel
- 1918
- New York Shipbuilding Corporation
- Camden, New Jersey
- Steel
- 369 ft
- 55 ft
- 5353
- Steam, triple expansion, single screw
- Sprague Steamship Co., Boston
Loss
- May 5, 1945
- Enemy action
- Off Point Judith, Rhode Island
- Rhode Island Sound, Atlantic Ocean
- Not established
- 7,500 tons of coal
- 46
- 12
- Charles Prior
The Wreck Today
- 85-95
- Broken in two, otherwise largely intact.
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
Position
- 41.32° N 71.43° W
- Approximate position
- Point Judith, Rhode Island
Converted from degrees-minutes coordinates on a Point Judith historical marker (41-19.30N/71-25.45W).
Evidence
Overall confidence: Documented (84/100)
The S.S. Black Point Historical Marker, Point Judith, RI
Vessel specifications, casualty count, and loss coordinates.
Wikipedia, Battle of Point Judith
Engagement narrative and vessel history.
