AH-WR-0331

SS James Longstreet

Liberty Ship · United States · Lost 1943 · Cape Cod & Nantucket Shoals

A World War II Liberty ship, damaged and later grounded on purpose, still rusts in Cape Cod Bay after decades as a Air Force bombing target.

Become Captain of Record See Shipwreck on Map

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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

Documented Likeness. Drawn from surviving builder's plans or clear photographs of this vessel. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

James Longstreet was a Liberty ship built in Houston in 1942. Damaged by grounding in a 1943 storm, she was later acquired by the Navy and deliberately grounded in Cape Cod Bay as a target hulk, absorbing bombing and strafing runs from Otis Air Force Base from 1945 until the early 1970s. Her rusted remains are still visible at low tide off Wellfleet.

Vessel

Built: 1942
Registry: Hull number 112
Builder: Todd Houston Shipbuilding Corporation
Yard: Houston, Texas
Material: Steel
Length: 441 ft
Beam: 57 ft
Tonnage: 7176
Propulsion: Steam, triple-expansion, single screw
Owners: International Freighting Corporation; later U.S. Navy

Loss

Date: October 26, 1943
Cause: Grounding
Location: Cape Cod Bay, off Wellfleet, Massachusetts
Water: Cape Cod Bay
Voyage: Not established
Cargo: Not established
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: Not established
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: 20 ft
Condition: Rusted hulk, largely submerged, superstructure collapsing
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: Not established
Protection: Exempted archaeological site, Massachusetts Board of Underwater Archaeological Resources

Position

Coordinates: 41.90° N 70.03° W
Accuracy: Approximate position
Nearest: Wellfleet, Massachusetts
Region: Cape Cod & Nantucket Shoals

Evidence

Overall confidence: Well documented (90/100)

Massachusetts Board of Underwater Archaeological Resources
Vessel dimensions, propulsion, and site status.
Cape Cod Times
History of target-ship use and current condition.