SS Selma
Tanker · United States · Lost 1922 · Texas & the Western Gulf
A rare World War I concrete-hulled tanker, damaged beyond repair and scuttled in Galveston Bay, where her hull still stands.
Become Captain of RecordSee Shipwreck on Map
The Vessel and Her Loss
Built in Mobile, Alabama in 1919 as an experimental concrete-hulled tanker, Selma entered Gulf oil service after the war's end came too soon for military use. She struck a jetty at Tampico, Mexico, in 1920, tearing a large hole in her hull, and repair and sale attempts both failed. On March 9, 1922, she was deliberately scuttled in a dredged channel off Pelican Island near Galveston. Her weathered concrete hull remains visible today and is a well-known Galveston landmark.
Vessel
- 1919
- Official number 219771
- F.F. Ley and Company
- Mobile, Alabama
- Composite
- 434 ft
- 54 ft
- 6287
- Steam, triple expansion, single screw
- U.S. Shipping Board; American Fuel Oil & Transportation Co.
Loss
- March 9, 1922
- Intentional sinking
- Galveston Bay, off Pelican Island, Texas
- Galveston Bay
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
The Wreck Today
- Not established
- Partially submerged hull visible above the waterline
- Not established
- Not established
- Listed on the National Register of Historic Places
Position
- 29.344° N 94.786° W
- Surveyed position
- Galveston, Texas
Evidence
Overall confidence: Well documented (90/100)
Texas Historical Commission, Atlas Historical Marker Database
Build history, damage, and scuttling date and location.
Construction details and dimensions.
