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SS Dixie Arrow

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Coordinates: 34°54′0.58″N 75°45′1.73″W / 34.9001611°N 75.7504806°W / 34.9001611; -75.7504806
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A view of the port side of Dixie Arrow
A view of the port side of Dixie Arrow
History
United StatesUnited States
NameDixie Arrow
NamesakeDixie, nickname for southern US
Owner
  • Standard Oil Company of New York (1921–1931)
  • Socony-Vacuum Transportation Co. (1932–1935)
  • Socony-Vacuum Oil Co. (1936–1942)
Operator
  • Standard Transportation Company, Inc. (1921–1931)
  • Standard Vacuum Transport Co. (1932–1935)
  • Socony-Vacuum Oil Co. (1936–1942)
Port of registryUnited States New York, NY
Route
OrderedNovember 1, 1919
BuilderNew York Shipbuilding Corp., Camden
Yard number266
Laid downJanuary 24, 1921
LaunchedSeptember 29, 1921
Sponsored byIsabelle Brown
AcquiredNovember 29, 1921
Out of serviceMarch 26, 1942
StrickenMay 12, 1942
Identification
FateTorpedoed and sunk off Cape Hatteras on March 26, 1942
General characteristics
Class and typeArrow-class steam bulk oil tanker
Tonnage
  • 8,046 GRT
  • 4,960 NRT
  • 7,834 UDT
  • 13,400 DWT
Tons burthen99,742 bm
Length468.3 ft (142.7 m)
Beam62.7 ft (19.1 m)
Draft26.0 ft (7.9 m)
Depth72–89 ft (22–27 m)
Decks2
Installed power
  • 3 single-ended Scotch boilers, 9 corrugated furnaces total (3 per boiler)
  • 1 × 4-cylinder quadruple expansion steam engine, 3,200 hp (2,400 kW)
Propulsion1 screw
Speed11 knots (20 km/h; 13 mph)
Endurance46 days
Boats & landing
craft carried		4 lifeboats
Capacity99,742 bbl (15,857.7 m3)
Crew33 (at time of loss)

SS Dixie Arrow was an American steam oil tanker built by New York Shipbuilding Corporation in Camden, New Jersey. She was one of the Arrow class of oil tankers built for Standard Oil Company of New York, shortened to Socony. For two decades, Dixie Arrow carried petroleum and other oil products to and from the Far East and North America, as well as the Gulf and East Coasts of the United States. She was considered to be one of the most efficient ships owned by Socony, and was described as a good ship to serve aboard. The tanker was torpedoed and sunk off of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina on March 26, 1942, by the German submarine U-71.

Construction

[edit]
Dixie Arrow half-built, with two American flags hanging from her bow
Dixie Arrow under construction

Following the outbreak of World War I, Socony began development of a new class of oil tanker. The company hoped to modernize their fleet of oil tankers, and to replace the aging barks they had constructed at the beginning of the 20th century. Named the Arrow class, construction on the new tankers first began in 1916. A total of twelve ships would be constructed by two companies over the course of the next five years until 1921. All twelve ships were designed by Nicholas Pluymert, Socony's naval architect who also served as head of the company's Marine Transportation Department.[1][2]

The final ship of the class to be built, yard number 226, was ordered on November 1, 1919.[3][4] Constructed by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation at their shipyard in Camden, New Jersey, alongside three other Arrow-class ships, yard number 226 was named Dixie Arrow.[5][6] Her keel was laid on January 24, 1921. She was launched from South Yard 3 on September 29, sponsored and christened by Isabelle Brown of Dallas, Texas; daughter of E. R. Brown, the owner of the Magnolia Petroleum Company.[7][8][9][10]

Dixie Arrow's sea trials were conducted on November 23 in the Delaware Bay.[11][12] She was finally completed on November 29, being delivered to the Standard Transportation Company that same day.[5] For identification, the tanker was assigned the United States Navy (USN) designation ID-4789, the US official number 221735, and the callsign MDHC.[5][13][14][15]

Design and specifications

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An illustration of Dixie Arrow and three of her sister ships
General plans for Dixie Arrow and her three sister ships

All twelve of the Arrow class ships were of almost equal dimensions, with only minimal differences between them. Building several ships using the same plans was extremely efficient, as it saved on valuable things such as cost, materials, and construction time. In addition, no extra time would be needed to be spent training crews on new ships, as all of them operated and had the same layout. This strategy was commonly used by shipbuilders at the time to make multiple ships quickly and efficiently.[2]

Dixie Arrow was 468.3 feet (142.7 m) long, 62.7 feet (19.1 m) wide, and 26.0 feet (7.9 m) from the waterline to the bottom of the keel.[16][17] In the aft of the bottom deck, the tanker was outfitted with a one four-cylinder quadruple expansion steam engine, capable of producing up to 3,200 horsepower (2,400 kW).[18] She also had three single-ended Scotch marine boilers with three corrugated furnaces on each, nine in total. As a result, Dixie Arrow had a maximum speed of 11 knots with a single bronze three-bladed propeller.[19][20][21] The tanker had a gross register tonnage of 8,046 tons, a net register tonnage of 4,960 tons, an underdeck tonnage of 7,834 tons, and a deadweight tonnage of 13,400 tons.[4][22][23] She also had a total tons burthen, or internal cargo volume, of 99,742 m3.[1]

Dixie Arrow boasted three masts and a funnel sporting a white Socony 'S' atop the aft superstructure, which held a shelter that was "designed to carry petroleum in bulk with aft positioned machinery."[1] The tanker had ten double cargo holds for bulk oil able to carry up to four million gallons of commercial oil, and room for a maximum of 400,000 gallons of fuel that would allow her to steam a maximum length of 46 days.[1][24] A tween deck, designed to carry general cargo, was located between the hold and the main deck, and the space was used significantly during the tanker's service in the Far East. Located on the main deck were five deck cranes, used to transport cargo in and out of the holds. For this purpose, there were eight removable hatches on the main deck.[25][26] She carried four wooden lifeboats, two on the forward superstructure and two on the aft superstructure, as well as multiple wooden liferafts.[27]

The tanker's forward superstructure was three decks high, and the aft superstructure was one deck high. Amidships was a removable accommodation ladder that ran down the starboard side all the way to the waterline. In a 1921 Lloyd's Register survey, Dixie Arrow was given a rating of 100A1, meaning she was suitable for seagoing service, and was fit to carry dry and perishable goods.[28] In the survey's report, it was noted that the tanker had "good and efficient anchoring and mooring equipment."[1][11] In addition, Dixie Arrow's radio system had a maximum telegraphical range of 800 nautical miles while on a frequency of 375 kilocycles, which was controlled by the Radio Corporation of America.[29][30] The tanker also had a system of electric lights controlled from a panel in the bridge, with the dynamo having a capacity of 182 amperes at 110 volts.[31]

Ownership

[edit]
A white swallowtail with blue stripes along the top and bottom, and a red Pegasus in the center
Socony's house flag, which was flown from the mainmast of Dixie Arrow

While Dixie Arrow was built for Standard Transportation Company, in actuality she was owned by Socony.[25] Standard Transportation Company was a subsidiary of Socony, which was not unusual for large companies at the time. Socony had emerged as one of two major companies to rise from the breakup of John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil, the other being Standard Oil of New Jersey.[32] Socony had originally existed as a subsidiary of Standard Oil after it had been established in 1882.[1]

Lloyd's of London's registers linked the operator of Dixie Arrow to Standard Transportation Company for ten years, from 1921 until 1931. The tanker was then registered under Standard Vacuum Transport Company for three years, following the merger of Socony and Vacuum Oil Company in 1931.[16][33] After the parent company renamed to Socony-Vacuum Oil Company in 1935,[34] Dixie Arrow's operations were handed over to Socony-Vacuum.[13] The tanker was formally owned by Socony from 1921 until 1931, where it given to Socony-Vacuum Transportation Company and later Socony-Vacuum Oil Company.[1]

For the entire duration of her service, Dixie Arrow flew the American flag as her ensign and was registered at the Port of New York. The tanker also flew the Socony house flag, which consisted of a white swallowtail with blue stripes running along the top and bottom, with a red Pegasus in the center of the field.[35][36]

Service

[edit]
Dixie Arrow at the W. & A. Fletcher Company dry dock in New York City, 1922

The first year of Dixie Arrow's service had among her longest trips, going from New York City, through the Panama Canal, and to the Far East. This route was given to all of the Arrow class ships, though it would only be followed by a handful of them until the outbreak of World War II. Only conducting three of these voyages, Dixie Arrow departed for her first trip in December 1921, carrying 10,000 tons of fuel oil.[1] The tanker departed from New York City, first docking in the Panamanian city of Colón, then refueling in San Francisco, and finally steaming across the Pacific Ocean to the British territory of Hong Kong.[37] After unloading her cargo in the British port, Dixie Arrow would sail to the Philippines to load various vegetable oils in Manila, such as coconut, nut, and what was referred to as "China wood" oil.[38][39] These unusual cargos would fill her empty oil tanks before she took the voyage in reverse, heading back to New York. Ships traditionally sailed empty on their return trips with only ballast in the hold, though Socony opposed this approach in order to secure higher profits on each transpacific voyage. Each of these voyages took around six months to complete, and served as "a testament to the Arrow [class'] seaworthiness and range."[1][2]

After three voyages and serving roughly two years in the Far East, Dixie Arrow was rerouted to the domestic oil trade in 1923. The tanker's route was changed in order to carry oil back and forth across North America, steaming between the three largest oil producing and consuming states: New York, Texas, and California.[1] This change came after oil fields opened up in the area surrounding Los Angeles earlier that same year, and Socony rerouted several other Arrow-class ships "since their design of being both a general cargo carrier and bulk oil carrier proved to be versatile and efficient."[25] Dixie Arrow would conduct voyages through the Panama Canal to the cities of San Diego, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, steaming from port cities in the northeast such as New York City, Boston, and Providence.[40][41] While primarily carrying her traditional cargo of crude oil, the tankeralso carried general freight, as she was flexible in both her route and cargo type. She also carried bunker fuel to New York City, San Francisco, and the Panama Canal Zone for use by transiting vessels.[42][43] Dixie Arrow would also make intermediate stops in various Texan ports while on these voyages.[a] Compared to her service in the Far East, Dixie Arrow solely sailed in ballast when on her voyages towards California. This practice would be continued for the rest of the tanker's service.[1]

In 1931, the tanker's operations were handed over to another subsidiary: Standard Vacuum Transport Company. The amount of oil tankers steaming to and from California and through the Panama Canal had lessened since 1927, with the Californian oil fields becoming insignificant by the first years of the 1930s. Soon afterwards, Socony removed California from the tanker's route. Dixie Arrow was rerouted to directly service Texan ports, all of which were operated by one of Socony's affiliates, either the Magnolia Petroleum Company or the Humble Oil and Refinery Company.[1][42] The ports directly serviced the East Texas Oil Field, the largest petroleum reservoir in the state. On her voyages up and down the east coast, Dixie Arrow carried case oil, cargo consisting of a pair of five-gallon oil drums packed together in a small wooden box. The types of oil packed into these drums consisted of primarily petroleum and gasoline. However, some drums also carried kerosene, benzene, and lubricating oil, among others.[44][45] When Dixie Arrow was returned Socony in 1936, her callsign was changed to KDVT.[1][13][46]

Second World War

[edit]
Further information: Military production during World War II § US wartime production
A side view of Dixie Arrow, painted grey, at anchor
Dixie Arrow at anchor, photographed on February 11, 1942, just over two months before her final voyage

After both the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939 and the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor in December 1941, Dixie Arrow remained on her regular East Coast route. Although the tanker was not outfitted with weapons or placed in a convoy, though she was painted grey.[19][27] The Socony 'S' on her funnel was also painted over, to hide the identity of the tanker's owner; something similar had been done to her sister Sylvan Arrow during the First World War.[47]

Dixie Arrow was formally assigned to carry petroleum from Texas to New York in order to help the American war effort.[1][48] With U-boats now sinking American vessels off their own coast, oil refineries began to lose their supply of petroleum, threatening the production of war matériel.[49][50] The Gulf Coast had a large supply of crude oil, however there were not enough tankers to transport it. As such, Dixie Arrow joined some 200 tankers in the task of fueling American factories in the north.[2] Though she did not explicitly service foreign Allied war production, it is certainly possible that the tanker's regular petroleum cargo was offloaded and later transferred to other tankers bound for Europe. It was common practice for American tankers to transport oil to ports such as New York, where it would be loaded onto British-flagged vessels and transported across the Atlantic.[1][51]

Final voyage

[edit]
Further information: Operation Drumbeat

On March 19, 1942, Dixie Arrow left Texas City, Texas, bound for the city of Paulsboro, New Jersey. The tanker was carrying 86,136 barrels (13,694.5 m3) of crude oil to be used for the Allied war effort, and had a crew numbering 33 men.[27][52] She was described as a good ship to work aboard, with fair pay, a reasonable work schedule, and "the best cook available".[27][53] Despite many ships being in the vicinity wherever she traveled, Dixie Arrow was not officially travelling in a convoy. The Coastal Convoy System used by the USN was established in the summer of 1942, nearly three months after Dixie Arrow had sunk.[1][54]

Dixie Arrow's master, Captain Anders Johanson, was under orders to follow a forty-fathom (240 ft; 73 m) curve to keep the tankersafe while steaming past Cape Hatteras. While passing St. John's River, Florida, Captain Johanson stopped a USN patrol boat to inquire for further details. He was told there were "a couple of other navy boats ahead", and that he should contact them instead. Upon attempting to do, Dixie Arrow received no response.[53] As the tanker sailed further up the East Coast, she constantly received messages of SOS and SSSS[b] from ships that had been torpedoed by U-boats. As a further precautionary measure, Captain Johanson ordered all of Dixie Arrow's lights to be turned off during the night.[27][55]

Around 80 Allied ships would be sunk by German U-boats off of the coastline of North Carolina by the end of their campaign, officially named Operation Paukenschlag (English: Operation Drumbeat).[27][56] The operation was the second major U-boat phase in the Atlantic, which itself was part of the much larger Battle of the Atlantic. Operation Drumbeat would become nicknamed the "Second Happy Time" by Germans sailors due to the high amount of shipping losses suffered by the Allied powers.[57][58]

While steaming past the Outer Banks of North Carolina, Dixie Arrow's crew could see columns of smoke coming from oil fires located south of Morehead City, the result of other ships that had fallen victim to U-boats.[27] Ships traditionally sailed along warm water currents for speed, namely the Gulf Stream. Both the Gulf Stream and the Labrador Current meet off the coast of North Carolina.[59][60] All shipping in the area was either coming from the north or the south, making the region a prime hunting ground for U-boats. In addition, the continental shelf is narrowest along the coastline, making it convenient for U-boats to hide themselves in deep water while waiting for ships.[61][62] As a result of this, the region was nicknamed "Torpedo Alley" by merchantmen.[63][64]

Sinking

[edit]

Roughly 10 minutes before 09:00 AM EWT (Eastern War Time), in the morning hours of March 26, 1942, Dixie Arrow made her way past both Cape Fear and Cape Lookout, and into Cape Hatteras' infamous Diamond Shoals.[59] The tanker was reported to be zig-zagging with 45° tacks, altering her course every 6–9 minutes, and was steaming at a speed of 10.5 knots.[1][27] Shortly before 9:00 AM, a United States Coast Guard (USCG) airplane reported that it was circling Dixie Arrow near the Diamond Shoals outer buoy. The tanker was steaming through calm, clear, and smooth seas with a gentle breeze.[1][23]

Small diagram with three Xs in the middle of the ship, and a line between the second and third Xs
A diagram showing the locations of both the torpedo strikes and where Dixie Arrow broke in two

Twelve miles (19 km) southwest of Cape Hatteras, the type VII-C submarine U-71 was on its fifth patrol, now under the command of Kapitänleutnant Walter Flachsenberg. The U-boat had had a successful patrol thus far, having sunk the Norwegian tanker SS Ranja and the American cargo ship SS Oakmar just days earlier.[65] Having found nothing but small fishing boats the night of March 25-26, the submarine had been preparing "to dive and sleep for the day when [the] lookout spotted some masts on the southern horizon."[53] These masts belonged to Dixie Arrow. Preparing to sink the tanker, U-71 vanished under the water and began to maneuver itself in-between the shoreline and Dixie Arrow.[13][53] At 8:58 AM, Kapitanleutnant Flachsenberg gave the order to fire three torpedoes,[c] all of which hit the tanker amidships on the starboard side.[27][52]

Dixie Arrow burning, thick smoke surrounding her
Dixie Arrow's starboard side aflame

The torpedoes were spotted by the able seaman in the wheelhouse, Oscar Chappell,[d] and he rung the warning bell before attempting to turn Dixie Arrow—albeit far too late.[53] The first torpedo blew up the forward deckhouse and lit its ruins on fire, killing the radio operator, all the tanker's officers, and a number of crewmen save for Chappell.[25][27] The other two torpedoes hit the tanker roughly sixty seconds later, killing Captain Johanson, wounding eight men in the dining hall, and knocking out the lights in the engine room.[65] The engines were stopped by the first assistant engineer, William Rolfe, just before the third blast, and Dixie Arrow began to drift aimlessly in the water.[1][13][66] Around this time, the USCG airplane spotted the tanker aflame, and its pilot proceeded to take multiple photographs of her.[67][68] Oil spilled from Dixie Arrow's tanks, and the liquid was subsequently ignited by the torpedoes' explosions. Seaman Richard Rushton described the first moments after the strikes in a 2001 interview:[27]

When the torpedo struck, there was sort of a rolling motion. It's not a jarring [motion] because the tanker is so big. It sort of rolled the ship, and we came out of breakfast, and we could see the fire and smoke. One of the older sailors went to a lifeboat, and he panicked. He took the line off the cleats and dropped the boat, but it was on the starboard side where the fire was. He had [the line] around his arm, and it launched him out into the fire. The boat probably weighed 2,000 pounds or so. Steel, too. Full of supplies. He was one of the older sailors, and he knew better, but he panicked.

Chappell quickly turned the tanker to starboard, bringing Dixie Arrow the wind to keep the men on the bow from being burnt to death and allowing them time to jump into the water to reach relative safety. However, in doing this, he turned the flames on himself and was killed.[53] A surviving crewman recalled that, as he looked back after he had jumped, he could see that "fire was shooting up all about [Chappell]".[27] The able seaman was posthumously awarded both the Distinguished Merchant Marine Medal and the Navy Distinguished Service Medal for his actions.[69][70] The liberty ship SS Oscar Chappell was named after him, as well as the Able Seaman Oscar Chappell Award For Outstanding Maritime Stewardship.[71][72]

Dixie Arrow breaking in two, with fire engulfing both parts
Dixie Arrow breaking in half whilst on fire

A massive explosion tore through Dixie Arrow amidships, creating a mushroom cloud that was visible for several miles all around.[27] The tanker's starboard side became completely engulfed by fire,[e] with U-71's crew becoming unable to see her.[73][74] The flaming oil spread around the ship, making it dangerous for Dixie Arrow's crew to jump overboard as they could be burnt or get stuck underneath the oil. Two of the tanker's lifeboats were destroyed in the flames, and a third swung uncontrollably on its davits and ended up launching one crewman into the flames and to his death.[27][75] Her fourth lifeboat managed to launch due to the efforts of six crewmen, including Rolfe, with Rushton and seven others aboard it.[27]

The entire starboard side was ablaze, and the oil was pouring out. I got into the [aft port #4] lifeboat and put the plug in the bottom and was getting it ready for launching. It's a tense time, I suppose, but we had practiced this—the lifeboat drill—a time or two. The ship was still underway, and the fire was pouring out and coming around the back. The fire seemed to be close. We had guys pulling on the big oars, and I remember one guy snapped his, he was pulling so hard. These were probably two-inch diameter oars.

The six crewmen that helped launch the lifeboat jumped into the flaming water and managed to find a life raft. It was quickly abandoned by five of the men upon realizing the raft had no oars, but a sixth stayed aboard and promptly died when the raft caught fire. Two crewmen on the bow jumped into the water despite not knowing how to swim, and both were eventually rescued after swimming through oil-filled water.[27][53] Dixie Arrow began to buckle amidships as the lifeboat pulled away and the tanker's crew swam for their lives.[76][77]

As Dixie Arrow's sole radio operator was killed in the initial explosion,[13] no distress call had ever been sent out to alert nearby ships of Dixie Arrow's condition, not that it would help much. Ships steaming up and down the East Coast seldom stopped to assist the survivors of torpedoed vessels, for fear that they would also find themselves on the receiving end of a U-boat's torpedo.[27][53]

Rescue operations

[edit]
The destroyer, USS Tarbell, sailing
USS Tarbell in December 1942

The USN destroyer USS Tarbell spotted the flames of Dixie Arrow, and the tanker's came at full speed in order to investigate.[27][78] Guided by a seaplane, the destroyer arrived at 9:30 AM, roughly half an hour after Dixie Arrow had first been torpedoed.[79] After the seaplane dropped two bombs on the U-boat,[1] the destroyer several depth charges—which killed several of the tanker's crewmen who were floating in the water—and did nothing to harm the submarine,[80] though it reportedly shook "from end to end, bracketed by Tarbell's depth charges."[53] A crewman of Dixie Arrow reported that he "felt like somebody had kicked him in the stomach"[53][55] after the first depth charges exploded, and several survivors were either knocked unconscious or killed by the blasts.[27]

Upon noticing the people in the water, Tarbell's crew ceased the deployment of depth charges, but instead of stopping, the destroyer hung cargo nets off her gunwales for the surviving crewmen to climb aboard.[27] She picked up eight men in the lifeboat and 14 others in the water, and she ended up rescuing a total of 22 survivors out of the tanker's 33 crew. Tarbell took the survivors to Morehead City, North Carolina, but they were later transferred to Norfolk, Virginia, reportedly for better conditions.[1][19]

The USCG cutter Dione, an anti-submarine ship, was alerted to the sinking of Dixie Arrow and came quickly despite being several miles away. The cutter was the sole ship assigned to conduct anti-submarine warfare in the waters off North Carolina. Nobody informed her master of USS Tarbell's arrival, and he became frustrated and angry upon arriving late, finding nothing but bodies and debris. Dione proceeded to head south in order to patrol the waters off the village of Hatteras.[53]

Aftermath

[edit]

U-71 managed to escape, moving to full power after Tarbell departed and returning to La Pallice, France, on April 20.[53][65] The type VII-C submarine went on to have a successful career, sinking a total of five Allied ships over the course of the war, for a combined tonnage of 38,895.[81] U-71 was also one of the few U-boats to survive until the end of the war, being decommissioned and then scuttled by on May 2, 1945 in Wilhelmshaven, Germany; six days before the German Instrument of Surrender was issued.[78][82]

The less injured among the crew of Dixie Arrow were taken to the Monticello Hotel in Norfolk for quarantine. They were subsequently interviewed by men whom the seamen suspected to be from the FBI, who kept them confined for two days before they were allowed to take a train to New York. Rushton said that the FBI "wanted to know the particulars, how we happened to take this particular ship and so on." The tanker's survivors speculated that the FBI thought that there was a traitor among the crew who had shared secret information, such as Dixie Arrow's location, so that U-71 could sink her.[27]

The tanker herself drifted north, and she was last seen around 11:40 AM by USN personnel.[67] By nighttime, Dixie Arrow had drifted inshore to the Cape Hatteras minefields, where she would finally sink.[83] There, her frame gave in and broke in two. The tanker's bow disappeared underwater, the superstructure catching on the stern and dragging it down as well.[1] The fires that had once engulfed the tankerwere subsequently extinguished by the seawater. As she settled, Dixie Arrow detonated a mine that had been laid by the USN in an attempt to deter U-boats. The USCG buoy tender Orchid was sent to the wrecksite, where she placed a red nun buoy to warn passing vessels of the underwater tanker.[1] The shipwreck was used as target practice by planes from the Cherry Point North Carolina Marine Air Station for the next year, and her masts collapsed into the sea in 1943.[1] Dixie Arrow's bell was recovered in 1944 by the USN during a dive to the wreck. The bell was later presented to designer Nicholas Pluymert, who dedicated it to Oscar Chappell.[25][55] After this, the remainder of Dixie Arrow's wreck was exploded and then wire-dragged to ensure that she would not be a hazard for navigation.[55][76][84]

The tanker was formally struck from the Lloyd's of London's register of shipping list on May 12, 1942, nearly two months after she had sunk.[85][86]

Wreck

[edit]
DIXIE ARROW (shipwreck and remains)
A colored scan showing the wreck of Dixie Arrow
A multibeam scan of the wreck of Dixie Arrow
LocationOffshore Dare County, North Carolina
Coordinates34°54′0.58″N 75°45′1.73″W / 34.9001611°N 75.7504806°W / 34.9001611; -75.7504806
Area61.8 ac
Built1919-1921
Built byNew York Shipbuilding Corp., Camden
ArchitectNicholas Pluymert
MPSWorld War II Shipwrecks along the East Coast and Gulf of Mexico
NRHP reference No.13000781
Added to NRHPSeptember 25, 2013

Dixie Arrow currently lays on a flat sand plain at a depth of 90 feet (27 m), 15 miles (24 km) off of Hatteras Inlet, at 34°54'0.58"N, 75°45'1.73"W.[87][88] Both parts sit upright, close together and aligned, and are partially buried in the seabed. The tanker's bow and stern are both in good condition, with much of the machinery in those parts still in its original positions. In the bow, the starboard side is also much more intact than the port side. The boilers and engine are the most prominent features of the stern section. Despite this, Dixie Arrow is an unrecognizable mess of parts and metal amidships.[1][77][89]

A wide array of wildlife inhabit the wreck, which has become a center for the nautical ecosystem. This includes barracudas, sand tiger sharks, stingrays, sea turtles, and other sorts of coral and fish. Due to this, the wreck has become a popular site for both recreational wreck divers and marine biologists.[90][91] Despite some concerns about environmental sustainability due to Dixie Arrow's cargo,[92][93] the tanker's oil tanks are empty, and there is "no presence of oil on or within the shipwreck."[1] In May 2019, it was reported that a fishing net had gotten stuck on Dixie Arrow's wreck. The net was soon removed by locals with no damage to the shipwreck or wildlife.[94]

On September 25, 2013, the shipwreck and the 61.7 acres surrounding it was labeled as a National Historic Place by the United States government.[95][96] The shipwreck was also labeled as part of NOAA's Monitor National Marine Sanctuary in 2016, placing it under maritime protection, though it was reported the move would not affect civilian wreck diving expeditions that occurred at the site.[97][98]

References

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  2. ^ a b c d Gardiner, Robert (editor), 2000. The Golden Age of Shipping: The Classic Merchant Ship 1900-1960. Chartwell Books. Edison, NJ.
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  5. ^ a b c "New York Shipbuilding, Camden, NJ". navalmarinearchive.com. October 22, 2020. Retrieved February 6, 2025.
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  8. ^ N. Y. S. (September 30, 1921). "Named "Dixie Arrow"". Evening Public Ledger. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
  9. ^ "Oil Tanker Launched". Evening Star. September 30, 1921. p. 25. ISSN 2331-9968. OCLC 02260929. Retrieved March 31, 2025.
  10. ^ "Launching of Dixie Arrow". The Nautical Gazette. 101: 464. July 2, 1921 – via Google Books.
  11. ^ a b Tanker Has Trial. Philadelphia Inquirer. 30 November 1921. Philadelphia
  12. ^ "Trial Trip of the Dixie Arrow". Marine Engineering and Shipping Age. 26: 942. December 1921 – via Google Books.
  13. ^ a b c d e f Claes, Johnny (October 10, 2007). "SS Dixie Arrow (+1942)". wrecksite.eu. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
  14. ^ Radigan, Joseph M. (1996). "Section Patrol Craft (SP), Civilian Vessels (ID), Unnumbered Vessels, Lighthouse Tenders, Revenue Cutters, Coast & Geodetic Survey Vessels and Canadian Drifters/Trawlers". www.navsource.org. Retrieved February 6, 2025.
  15. ^ Navigation, Bureau of (February 1, 1924). "Fifth-Fourth Annual List of Merchant Vessels of the United States". Annual List of Merchant Vessels of the United States (54). Department of Commerce: 84.
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Notes

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  1. ^ These ports included Galveston, Houston, Beaumont, Texas City, and Port Arthur.
  2. ^ Also written as SSS; stands for Submarine, Submarine, Submarine, Submarine.
  3. ^ U-71's official log, as well as some sources, state that only two torpedoes were fired.
  4. ^ Spelled as "Chappel" in some sources
  5. ^ This is due to heavy winds caused by fires, which causes air to rise and create a sort of vortex.

See also

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[edit]
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