SS Cities Service Empire
Tanker · United States · Lost 1942 · Florida's Atlantic Coast
A Cities Service tanker blown apart by U-128 off Cape Canaveral within hours of the Republic attack, part of a brutal February 1942 stretch.
Become Captain of RecordSee Shipwreck on Map
The Vessel and Her Loss
Cities Service Empire, built in 1918 and later renamed for Cities Service Oil Co, was struck by two torpedoes from U-128 on 22 February 1942 about 25 miles north of Bethel Shoals off Florida's Brevard County coast. Fire spread instantly across the ship and her armed guards were driven from their stations. All lifeboats were destroyed, forcing survivors to jump overboard onto rafts. She broke in two and sank; the destroyer USS Biddle and Coast Guard cutter Vigilant carried out the rescue.
Vessel
- 1918
- Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corp
- Sparrows Point, Maryland
- Steel
- Not established
- Not established
- 8103
- Steam, single screw
- Cities Service Oil Co, New York
Loss
- February 22, 1942
- Enemy action
- About 25 miles north of Bethel Shoals, off the Brevard County coast, Florida
- Atlantic Ocean
- Port Arthur, Texas → Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- 9,400 barrels of crude oil
- 50
- 14
- William Faucett Jerman Jr.
The Wreck Today
- Not established
- Broke in two and sank.
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
Position
- 28.42° N 80.03° W
- Approximate position
- Cape Canaveral, Florida
Position reported by uboat.net as 28°25'N, 80°02'W.
Evidence
Overall confidence: Documented (80/100)
Present wreck depth and condition are not established in the sources reviewed.
Attack narrative, casualties, tonnage, route.
Casualty log, rescue details.
Regional context on U-128's Brevard County attacks.
