SS ''Tarpon'' (originally known as ''Naugatuck'') was a ship which sank in 1937 near

Panama City Panama City ( es, Ciudad de Panamá, links=no; ), also known as Panama (or Panamá in Spanish), is the capital and largest city of Panama. It has an urban population of 880,691, with over 1.5 million in its metropolitan area. The city is locat ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. The

shipwreck A shipwreck is the wreckage of a ship that is located either beached on land or sunken to the bottom of a body of water. Shipwrecking may be intentional or unintentional. Angela Croome reported in January 1999 that there were approximately ...

is located off the shore of Panama City. It became the sixth

Florida Underwater Archaeological Preserve The Florida Underwater Archaeological Preserves are a system of underwater parks in the state of Florida, USA. They consist of shipwrecks of historic interest, both off the coast and inland, and are open all year round, free of charge. Similar pro ...

when it was dedicated in 1997. In May 2001, it was added to the U.S.

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

History

The twin-screwed steamship ''Tarpon'' was built in 1887, at Wilmington Delaware by shipbuilders

Pusey and Jones The Pusey and Jones Corporation was a major shipbuilder and industrial-equipment manufacturer. Based in Wilmington, Delaware, it operated from 1848 to 1959. Shipbuilding was its primary focus from 1853 until the end of World War II, when the comp ...

. She was originally christened ''Naugatuck''. She measured with a

beam Beam may refer to: Streams of particles or energy *Light beam, or beam of light, a directional projection of light energy **Laser beam *Particle beam, a stream of charged or neutral particles **Charged particle beam, a spatially localized grou ...

of . The

superstructure A superstructure is an upward extension of an existing structure above a baseline. This term is applied to various kinds of physical structures such as buildings, bridges, or ships. Aboard ships and large boats On water craft, the superstruct ...

and passenger areas of the vessel were wood and the hull was iron. She was powered by twin steam engines driving iron

screws A screw and a bolt (see '' Differentiation between bolt and screw'' below) are similar types of fastener typically made of metal and characterized by a helical ridge, called a ''male thread'' (external thread). Screws and bolts are used to fa ...

. The ship was sent back to the manufacturer in 1891, after being sold by the original owner. The hull was lengthened by and she was renamed ''Tarpon''. In 1902 she was sold to The Pensacola, St Andrews, and Gulf Steamship Company. Captain Willis Green Barrow took command, and captained the ship for 30 years. ''Tarpon'' sailed weekly runs from

Mobile Mobile may refer to: Places * Mobile, Alabama, a U.S. port city * Mobile County, Alabama * Mobile, Arizona, a small town near Phoenix, U.S. * Mobile, Newfoundland and Labrador Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Mobile ( ...

Pensacola Pensacola () is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle, and the county seat and only incorporated city of Escambia County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 54,312. Pensacola is the principal ci ...

, St. Andrews Bay, Apalachacola, and Carrabelle, making the trip 1,735 times. On August 30, 1937 ''Tarpon'' was loaded in Mobile with 200 tons of cargo and 31 people including the crew. Despite a forecast of calm weather, the wind began to pick up, and the heavily-laden ship took on water in the high seas. Despite jettisoning cargo, the ship foundered with heavy loss of life.

References

External links

Bay County listings
a
National Register of Historic Places

SS Tarpon
a
Florida's Underwater Archaeological Preserves

SS Tarpon Underwater Archaeological Preserve
a
Florida Heritage Tourism Interactive Catalog

Commercial diving website (archived)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tarpon Ships built by Pusey and Jones 1887 ships Protected areas of Bay County, Florida National Register of Historic Places in Bay County, Florida Shipwrecks of the Florida coast Shipwrecks on the National Register of Historic Places in Florida Maritime incidents in 1937 Florida Underwater Archaeological Preserves