AH-WR-0686

SS Naeco

Tanker · United States · Lost 1942 · The Outer Banks

A WWII tanker torpedoed and set ablaze off Cape Lookout, now split into two widely separated sections popular with expert divers.

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Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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

Built in 1918 as Charles M. Everest and renamed Naeco in 1933, the tanker was torpedoed by U-124 on March 23, 1942 while carrying fuel oil off Cape Lookout. The explosion ignited the cargo and killed 24 of the 38 aboard. NOAA's Monitor National Marine Sanctuary has surveyed the wreck, which lies broken into two sections nearly a mile apart.

Vessel

Built: 1918
Registry: IMO 217130
Builder: Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation
Yard: Wilmington, Delaware
Material: Steel
Length: 428 ft
Beam: 53 ft
Tonnage: 5373
Propulsion: Triple expansion steam, single screw
Owners: Pennsylvania Shipping Company, Philadelphia

Loss

Date: March 23, 1942
Cause: Enemy action
Location: About 65 miles southeast of Cape Lookout, North Carolina
Water: Atlantic Ocean
Voyage: Houston, Texas → Seawaren, New Jersey
Cargo: 97,000 barrels of #2 fuel oil
Aboard: 38
Lives lost: 24
Master: Emil H. Englbrecht

The Wreck Today

Depth: 90-145
Condition: Broken into bow and stern sections roughly a mile apart, with high-relief engine and boiler areas.
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: Not established
Protection: Not established

Position

Coordinates: 34.058° N 76.571° W
Accuracy: Surveyed position
Nearest: Cape Lookout, North Carolina
Region: The Outer Banks

NOAA-published bow section position; stern section lies roughly a mile away.

Evidence

Overall confidence: Well documented (90/100)

NOAA Monitor National Marine Sanctuary
Build, dimensions, loss details, wreck site condition, coordinates.
nc-wreckdiving.com
Attack narrative and rescue details.