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

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. 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. It results from the event of ''shipwrecking'', which may be intentional or unintentional. There were approximately thre ...

is located off the shore of Panama City. It became the sixth Florida Underwater Archaeological Preserve when it was dedicated in 1997. In May 2001, it was added to the U.S.

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History

The twin-screwed steamship ''Tarpon'' was built in 1887, at Wilmington Delaware by shipbuilders Pusey and Jones. She was originally christened ''Naugatuck''. She was long, and her beam was . 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 is an externally helical threaded fastener capable of being tightened or released by a twisting force (torque) to the screw head, head. The most common uses of screws are to hold objects together and there are many forms for a variety ...

. 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,

Pensacola Pensacola ( ) is a city in the Florida panhandle in the United States. It is the county seat and only city in Escambia County. The population was 54,312 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Pensacola metropolitan area, which ha ...

, 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