View source for SS Gulfamerica

{|{{Infobox Ship Begin}} 
{{Infobox Ship Image
|Ship image=SS Gulfamerica.jpg
|Ship caption=SS ''Gulfamerica'' sinks after being [[torpedo]]ed
}} 
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship country=United States
|Ship flag={{USN flag|1942}}
|Ship name=SS ''Gulfamerica''
|Ship operator=Gulf Oil Co, [[New York City]] 
|Ship ordered= 
|Ship builder=[[Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation|Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyards Inc]], [[Sparrows Point, Maryland]]
|Ship yard number=
|Ship laid down=
|Ship launched=23 February 1942
|Ship completed=March 1942
|Ship acquired=
|Ship in service=
|Ship out of service= 
|Ship fate=Sunk on 11 April 1942
|Ship notes= 
}}
{{Infobox Ship Characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship class= 
|Ship tonnage=8,081 tons
|Ship displacement=
|Ship length=445 feet
|Ship beam=64 feet
|Ship height=
|Ship draught= 
|Ship draft=
|Ship ice class=
|Ship sail plan=
|Ship propulsion=583 nhp turbine engine
|Ship speed=
|Ship capacity=101,500 barrels of furnace oil 
|Ship crew=48
|Ship notes=
}}
|}

The '''SS ''Gulfamerica''''' was an American steam [[tanker (ship)|tanker]] built by [[Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation|Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyards Inc]]. of [[Sparrow's Point, Maryland]], completed in March 1942. She was operated by the Gulf Oil Company of [[New York City]] and homeported in [[Philadelphia]].

==Sinking==
''Gulfamerica''{{'}}s maiden voyage was to take her from [[Port Arthur, Texas]], to New York, carrying a cargo of 101,500 barrels of furnace oil. On the night of 10 April 1942, she was traveling unescorted about {{convert|5|miles}} off [[Jacksonville, Florida]]. She was illuminated by the lights of the [[Jacksonville Beach]] resort, which at that time was not observing a [[blackout (wartime)|blackout]]. Just after 10 pm, the decision was made to stop steaming an evasive [[zigzag]] course. Twenty minutes later, at 10:20, she was sighted by {{GS|U-123|1940|6}}, which fired a [[torpedo]] at her.

The torpedo struck the #7 tank on the [[starboard]] side and caused a large explosion and subsequent fire. The engines were stopped, and the order to abandon ship was given, as the ''Gulfamerica'' sent distress calls. ''U-123'' then opened fire with her deck gun, firing about 12 shells into the engine room on the [[port (nautical)|port]] side in an attempt to bring down the radio antenna and the anti-aircraft gun. The evacuation descended into confusion, causing a lifeboat to capsize, while another with the master and ten crewmen hurriedly pulled away in ten minutes. Ten minutes later, another boat left with only three men aboard, while three others abandoned ship on a liferaft, later picking up two men from the water.

Five men were killed by the torpedo blast or the gunfire, with 14 men drowning after they had entered the water. A total of two officers, two armed guards and 15 crewmen were killed in the sinking. The survivors were all rescued by [[US Coast Guard]] patrol boats and taken to [[Mayport, Florida]]. The ''Gulfamerica'' settled by the stern with about a 40° list to starboard but did not sink until 16 April.

==Humane considerations==
After the initial torpedo strike, the commander of ''U-123'', Kapitänleutnant [[Reinhard Hardegen]], surfaced his boat to finish the stricken tanker. In doing so, he realised that they were close to the highly illuminated and populated coast of Jacksonville, and that there was the risk that if he fired, shots that flew over the ''Gulfamerica'' could hit the shore, putting civilian lives at risk. He therefore navigated around the ''Gulfamerica'', placing himself between the shore and the tanker, and ensuring that shots that missed would land in the sea.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.delandmuseum.com/legendaryflorida/1942.html |title=Deland museum |access-date=2007-12-09 |archive-date=2007-09-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070921105300/http://www.delandmuseum.com/legendaryflorida/1942.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> In doing so, he lost valuable time. The distress call was received, and ''U-123'' was later engaged by the [[destroyer]] {{USS|Dahlgren|DD-187|6}}.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.jaxrrt.org/gulfamerica.htm |title=Sinking of the Gulfamerica |access-date=2007-12-09 |archive-date=2007-09-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929181527/http://www.jaxrrt.org/gulfamerica.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> ''U-123'' was damaged but could make a narrow escape back to Europe.

Hardegen survived the war and returned to Jacksonville in 1990, where he was received as an honoured guest. He would say of the occasion, "The town was very friendly to me."<ref name="closetohome">{{Cite web |url=http://www.usmm.org/closetohome.html |title=www.usmm.org |access-date=2007-12-09 |archive-date=2008-01-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080101135342/http://www.usmm.org/closetohome.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Aftermath==
The sinking of the ''Gulfamerica'' resulted in several losses to [[merchant vessel]]s along the North American coast. A wave of hysteria developed, with a fear of spies and saboteurs being landed all along the coast.  Despite the highly illuminated coastline providing easy targets for the U-boats engaged in [[Operation Drumbeat]], it still took several months for the government to organise an effective blackout, after which losses dropped. Hardegen spoke of that night, "There was moonshine, how you say, moonlight. There were lights on the shore. And many people."<ref name="closetohome"/>

The [[Liberty ship]] {{SS|Michael James Monahan}} was named after a crewman lost aboard the ''Gulfamerica''.<ref>[http://www.armed-guard.com/pbtnm.html The people behind the names]</ref>

The Liberty ships {{SS|Robert J. Banks}} and SS ''James Kyron Walker'' were named after crewmen lost aboard the ''Gulfamerica''. They were two of only 17 Liberty ships named after African-Americans during the war.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.usmm.org/african-americans.html|title=African-Americans in the U.S. Merchant Marine and U.S. Maritime Service during World War II}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}
*[http://uboat.net/allies/merchants/1523.html SS Gulfamerica at Uboat.net]

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{{April 1942 shipwrecks}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gulfamerica}}
[[Category:Ships sunk by German submarines in World War II]]
[[Category:Steamships]]
[[Category:Shipwrecks of the Florida coast]]
[[Category:1942 ships]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in April 1942]]
[[Category:Ships built in Sparrows Point, Maryland]]
[[Category:World War II tankers of the United States]]
[[Category:World War II shipwrecks in the Atlantic Ocean]]