AH-WR-1794

Tamaulipas

Tanker · Lost April 1942: NOAA narrative dates the attack April 9; its statistics list loss April 10. Exact sinking day unresolved. · The Outer Banks

Tamaulipas, formerly Hugoton, broke in two after a torpedo attack off Cape Lookout in April 1942; 35 survived.

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Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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 1919 and formerly named Hugoton, Tamaulipas carried petroleum products between Tampico and East Coast ports. In April 1942, traveling alone and unarmed toward New York, she was torpedoed by U-552 off Cape Lookout. Burning oil and the explosion broke the tanker in two; HMS Norwich City rescued 35 of the 37 aboard. NOAA dates the attack April 9 in its narrative but lists April 10 as the loss in its statistics. Bow and stern now lie at separate sites.

Vessel

Built: 1919
Registry: Hull no. 4185
Builder: Not established
Yard: Sparrow’s Point, Maryland
Material: Steel
Length: 434.8 ft
Beam: 56.2 ft
Tonnage: 6,943 gross tons
Propulsion: Triple-expansion three-cylinder steam engine
Owners: Mallory and Co. (as Hugoton, 1919–1941); Mexican Trading and Shipping Co., New York

Loss

Date: April 1942: NOAA narrative dates the attack April 9; its statistics list loss April 10. Exact sinking day unresolved.
Cause: Enemy action
Location: Off Cape Lookout, North Carolina
Water: Atlantic Ocean
Voyage: New York, New York
Cargo: 70,000 barrels of gas oil
Aboard: 37
Lives lost: 2
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: 155 ft
Condition: Two separated sections: inverted bow to the south and mostly upright aft section farther north, with disarticulated hull and deck structure around engine and two boilers; stern lies to starboard.
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: Not established
Protection: Not established

Position

Coordinates: 34.54° N 76.02° W
Accuracy: Approximate position
Nearest: Cape Lookout, North Carolina
Region: The Outer Banks

NOAA bow-section position retained as approximate. Stern is separately reported at 34.54672, -76.01392, approximately half a mile north. These are site positions, not attack coordinates.

Evidence

Overall confidence: Documented (89/100)

NOAA gives conflicting April 9 and 10 dates. Builder attribution, flag, captain and discovery date are not established here. Whole-vessel artwork is interpretive; the real wreck lies in separated sections.

NOAA Monitor National Marine Sanctuary — Tamaulipas
Full construction details, service history, final loss sequence and casualty outcomes; published site coordinates with accuracy qualified, conflicts and unknowns disclosed.