SS Virginia
Tanker · United States · Lost 1942 · The Gulf of Mexico
A gasoline tanker torpedoed within sight of the Mississippi River's mouth, now a benchmark for tracking the Gulf's shifting seafloor.
Become Captain of RecordSee Shipwreck on Map
The Vessel and Her Loss
SS Virginia was a new turbine tanker torpedoed by U-507 in May 1942 while waiting for a river pilot near Southwest Pass. Three torpedo hits set her gasoline cargo ablaze, and she sank within minutes with heavy loss of life. The wreck later became notable when researchers found it had migrated across the seafloor, carried by mudflows from the Mississippi.
Vessel
- 1941
- Welding Shipyards Inc
- Norfolk, Virginia
- Steel
- Not established
- Not established
- 10731
- Steam turbine, single screw
- National Bulk Carriers Inc
Loss
- May 12, 1942
- Enemy action
- About 1.5 miles off Southwest Pass, Mississippi River delta
- Gulf of Mexico
- Baytown, Texas → Baton Rouge, Louisiana
- 150,000 barrels of gasoline
- 41
- 27
- Bengt H. Larson
The Wreck Today
- 650 ft
- Broken and partially collapsed; documented moving slowly downslope with Mississippi delta mudflows.
- Not established
- 2001
- Sunken Military Craft Act does not apply; merchant war loss studied under BOEM/NOAA programs.
Position
- 28.883° N 89.483° W
- Surveyed position
- Southwest Pass, Mississippi River Delta, Louisiana
Evidence
Overall confidence: Well documented (90/100)
uboat.net Allied Ships Hit by U-boats
Attack narrative, position, casualties.
United States Geological Survey
Wreck location, seafloor movement studies.
NOAA Office of Response and Restoration
Vessel particulars, wreck condition assessment.
