USS Vermilion
Attack Cargo Ship · United States · Lost 1988 · The Georgia & South Carolina Coast
A World War II-era Navy attack cargo ship that served for 25 years now anchors South Carolina's deepest public reef site.
The Vessel and Her Loss
Commissioned in 1945, Vermilion served the U.S. Navy for nearly 26 years, supporting amphibious operations from the Pacific to Beirut and the Mediterranean. Decommissioned in 1971, she was sunk in 1988 as the founding structure of Vermilion Reef off Georgetown, South Carolina. Subway cars and, in 2019, the tugboat Susan Richards were later added to the same site.
Vessel
- 1944
- AKA-107 / LKA-107
- North Carolina Shipbuilding Company
- Wilmington, North Carolina
- Steel
- 459 ft
- 63 ft
- 13910
- Steam turbine, single screw
- United States Navy
Loss
- August 24, 1988
- Intentional sinking
- Vermilion Reef, approximately 30 miles east-southeast of Winyah Bay
- Atlantic Ocean
- Not established
- Not established
- 0
- 0
- Not established
The Wreck Today
- 120 ft
- Serves as the centerpiece of a larger reef complex that has since been augmented with subway cars and a tugboat.
- Not established
- Not established
- Managed as part of the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources Marine Artificial Reef Program.
Position
- 33.00° N 78.70° W
- Approximate position
- Georgetown, South Carolina
Approximate position of Permitted Area PA-17, roughly 30 miles east-southeast of Winyah Bay's south jetty.
Evidence
Overall confidence: Documented (85/100)
Naval History and Heritage Command
Build and service history.
South Carolina Department of Natural Resources
Reef site details, depth, and location.
