USS Tarpon
Submarine · United States · Lost 1957 · The Outer Banks
A World War II submarine that survived the Pacific War sank under tow off Cape Hatteras while being taken to be scrapped.
The Vessel and Her Loss
Tarpon was commissioned in 1936 and began her war patrols in the Pacific within days of the attack on Pearl Harbor, sinking several Japanese ships during the war and earning seven battle stars. She later served as a training submarine before being decommissioned and sold for scrap in 1957. While under tow off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, she sank in 135 feet of water, where she now rests intact and draws technical divers.
Vessel
- 1936
- SS-175
- Electric Boat Company
- Groton, Connecticut
- Steel
- 298 ft
- Not established
- Not established
- Diesel-electric
- United States Navy
Loss
- August 26, 1957
- Mechanical failure
- Off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina
- Atlantic Ocean
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- 0
- Not established
The Wreck Today
- 135 ft
- Intact
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
Position
- 34.75° N 75.77° W
- Reported, unconfirmed
- Cape Hatteras, North Carolina
A North Carolina wreck-diving reference site lists these GPS numbers for the ex-USS Tarpon submarine off Cape Hatteras; NOAA's sanctuary page confirms the wreck but does not itself publish coordinates in the material reviewed.
Evidence
Overall confidence: Documented (80/100)
NOAA Monitor National Marine Sanctuary
Service history, decommissioning, sinking under tow, depth, and dive site character.
nc-wreckdiving.com wreck listing
wreck position
