SS W.D. Anderson
Tanker · United States · Lost 1942 · Florida's Atlantic Coast
A crude-oil tanker torpedoed off Jupiter with just one survivor of 36, one of the deadliest single sinkings of Florida's 1942 U-boat war.
Become Captain of RecordSee Shipwreck on Map
The Vessel and Her Loss
W.D. Anderson was a 1921-built steam tanker owned by Atlantic Refining Co, carrying crude oil from Corpus Christi to Philadelphia when U-504 torpedoed her about 12 miles northeast of Jupiter Light on 23 February 1942. A first explosion set the ship ablaze; a lone crewman dove overboard and survived being caught in the propeller wash as burning oil spread across the water. Thirty-five of the 36 aboard were lost. The survivor was rescued by a local fisherman and taken ashore at Stuart.
Vessel
- 1921
- Moore Shipbuilding Co
- Oakland, California
- Steel
- Not established
- Not established
- 10227
- Steam, single screw
- Atlantic Refining Co, Philadelphia
Loss
- February 23, 1942
- Enemy action
- About 12 miles northeast of Jupiter Light, Florida
- Atlantic Ocean
- Corpus Christi, Texas → Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- 133,360 barrels of crude oil
- 36
- 35
- Albert Benjamin Walters
The Wreck Today
- Not established
- Settled by the stern and sank; remains off the Jupiter coast per a Florida historical marker.
- Not established
- Not established
- Commemorated by a Florida historical marker in Jupiter, Palm Beach County.
Position
- 27.15° N 79.93° W
- Approximate position
- Jupiter, Florida
uboat.net gives the sinking position as 27°09'N, 79°56'W (also cites 27°09'N/80°15'W in the narrative text).
Evidence
Overall confidence: Documented (85/100)
Attack narrative, casualties, tonnage, route, position.
Marker text confirming casualties and wreck location off Jupiter.
NOAA Office of Response and Restoration
Vessel particulars and casualty narrative.
