AH-WR-0883

SS John Worthington

Tanker · United States · Lost 1943 · Texas & the Western Gulf

A WWII tanker that survived a torpedo attack off Brazil, limped home to Galveston, and was ultimately abandoned behind San Jose Island near Port Aransas.

Become Captain of Record See Shipwreck on Map

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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

Built in 1920, the tanker John Worthington made twenty wartime voyages before being torpedoed off Brazil on May 27, 1943. Despite a house-sized hole in her hull, her crew sailed her back to Galveston, but she was declared damaged beyond repair. Stripped and partly salvaged, she was abandoned behind San Jose Island near Port Aransas, where she eventually sank. She is now informally included among Texas's Ships-to-Reefs sites.

Vessel

Built: 1920
Builder: Not established
Yard: Not established
Material: Steel
Length: Not established
Beam: Not established
Tonnage: Not established
Propulsion: Steam, single screw
Owners: Not established

Loss

Date: May 27, 1943
Cause: Enemy action
Location: Behind San Jose Island, near Aransas Pass, Texas
Water: Gulf of Mexico
Voyage: Galveston, Texas
Cargo: Not established
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: Not established
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: Not established
Condition: Not established
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: Not established
Protection: Not established

Position

Coordinates: 28.00° N 96.93° W
Accuracy: General area only
Nearest: San Jose Island, near Aransas Pass and Port Aransas, Texas
Region: Texas & the Western Gulf

General area only: coordinate of San Jose Island, the named place recorded as the loss location for this vessel (behind San Jose Island, near Aransas Pass), from the USGS Geographic Names Information System, not a surveyed wreck position.