AH-WR-0696

Titan

Tugboat · United States · Lost 2004 · The Outer Banks

A century-old tugboat that helped build the Panama Canal and survived a 1928 hurricane, now a shallow, well-preserved artificial reef off Bogue Inlet.

Become Captain of Record See Shipwreck on Map

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents. See the documented evidence.

Historically Reconstructed. Drawn from partial documentation of this vessel together with her known class and configuration. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

Built in 1909 as the tug Empire for the Erie Railroad, the vessel later worked on the Panama Canal, was driven ashore by a 1928 hurricane, and passed through several lumber and towing companies before ending her career with McAllister Towing. Acquired by the Swansboro Rotary Club, she was sunk off Bogue Inlet in July 2004 as part of North Carolina's artificial reef program, and a 2026 state survey found her wheelhouse and hull still in good condition.

Vessel

Built: 1909
Builder: Burlee Drydock
Yard: Port Richmond, Staten Island, New York
Material: Steel
Length: 116 ft
Beam: 24 ft
Tonnage: 238
Propulsion: Diesel, single screw (originally triple expansion steam)
Owners: McAllister Towing (at time of sinking); previously Erie Railroad, Panama Railroad, Danziger Lumber Company, Sabine Towing Company

Loss

Date: July 27, 2004
Cause: Intentional sinking
Location: Artificial Reef AR-345, off Bogue Inlet, North Carolina
Water: Atlantic Ocean
Voyage: Not established
Cargo: Not established
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: Not established
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: 60 ft
Condition: Intact with wheelhouse and smokestack upright, as confirmed by a 2026 North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries reef survey.
Orientation: Upright
Discovered: Not established
Protection: North Carolina artificial reef program (AR-345)