USS General M. C. Meigs
Troop Transport · United States · Lost 1972 · The Salish Sea
A decorated WWII and Korean War troop transport that broke free of her tow in a gale off Cape Flattery in 1972 and grounded for good at Portage Head.
The Vessel and Her Loss
Built in 1944 as a fast troop transport, General M. C. Meigs carried troops during World War II and the Korean War before being placed in the reserve fleet. In January 1972, while under tow from Olympia to a scrapping yard in California, her tow line parted in a gale off Cape Flattery. She drifted ashore and broke apart at Portage Head near Neah Bay, where remnants of her hull remain today as a long-term subject of state pollution monitoring.
Vessel
- 1944
- AP-116 / T-AP-116
- Federal Shipbuilding & Drydock Company
- Kearny, New Jersey
- Steel
- 622.6 ft
- 75.5 ft
- 11450
- Steam turbines, twin screw
- U.S. Navy / Military Sea Transportation Service
Loss
- January 9, 1972
- Storm
- Portage Head, near Neah Bay, Washington
- Pacific Ocean, near the entrance to the Strait of Juan de Fuca
- Olympia, Washington (Reserve Fleet) → Benicia, California
- Not established
- 0
- 0
- Not established
The Wreck Today
- 0 ft
- Broke in two and settled into the sand at Portage Head, where remains have persisted for decades and drawn attention as a pollution concern.
- Not established
- Not established
- Within the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary vicinity; monitored by Washington Department of Natural Resources
Position
- 48.287° N 124.688° W
- Surveyed position
- Neah Bay, Washington
Position corresponds to the documented wreck site at Portage Head near Neah Bay.
Evidence
Overall confidence: Documented (85/100)
Naval History and Heritage Command
Build data and naval service history.
Present-day pollution monitoring context for wrecks in the area.
Loss date and tow/grounding narrative.
