AH-WR-0919

SS Emidio

Tanker · United States · Lost 1941 · San Francisco & the Northern California Coast

A tanker shelled by a Japanese submarine off Cape Mendocino in December 1941, the first California casualty of the Pacific war.

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Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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

Historically Reconstructed. Drawn from partial documentation of this vessel together with her known class and configuration. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

SS Emidio was a General Petroleum tanker built in 1921 as Hammac. On December 20, 1941, while returning to San Pedro in ballast, she was shelled by the Japanese submarine I-17 off the Northern California coast. Five crewmen were killed and the survivors abandoned ship. The drifting hulk broke up on rocks off Crescent City, and its bow later lay in the harbor until salvage in 1950.

Vessel

Built: 1921
Registry: US Official Number 221460
Builder: Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation, Alameda
Yard: Alameda, California
Material: Steel
Length: 435 ft
Beam: 56.2 ft
Tonnage: 6912
Propulsion: Steam, triple expansion, single screw
Owners: General Petroleum Corporation / Socony-Vacuum Oil Co.

Loss

Date: December 20, 1941
Cause: Enemy action
Location: About 25 miles west of Cape Mendocino, Humboldt County, drifting ashore near Crescent City
Water: Pacific Ocean
Voyage: Seattle, Washington → San Pedro, California
Cargo: Ballast only
Aboard: 36
Lives lost: 5
Master: Clark A. Farrow

The Wreck Today

Depth: Not established
Condition: Broken up on rocks; portions of the hull remain near Crescent City harbor; the bow section was salvaged in 1950.
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: Not established
Protection: California Historical Landmark No. 497