Gulf Trade 2 Shorter.mp4

Diving the Gulf Trade Wreck off New Jersey.
Ship Name- The Gulf Trade
Owner- Gulf Oil Company
Design- 6,776 ton tanker, built in 1920, 423' long, 59' beam
The GULFTRADE was bound for New York out of Port Arthur, Texas with a cargo of oil. She had been traveling under blackout conditions to avoid the German U-boats which were prowling the Atlantic coast. At 11 PM on March 9, 1942, Captain Torger Olsen of the GULFTRADE ordered the ship's running lights turned on because there were several large ships in close proximity, and at the time he feared a collision more than a stalking U-boat. There was a heavy sea running with a strong southwest wind and by the time she had cleared the traffic, the GULFTRADE was only a few miles off of Barnegat. Captain Olsen decided to leave the ship's running lights on, reasoning that no U-boats would come after them that close to shore.

"I made a mistake," Captain Olson would later say. At 12:40 AM a single torpedo struck the GULFTRADE between the bridge and the main mast, splitting the vessel in two. As Captain Olsen looked out on his vessel from the bridge, he saw the flames from the explosion almost immediately extinguished by a mercifully large wave. Both sections of the ship remained afloat. Captain Olsen was on the stern section and cast off in a lifeboat with six of his crew. Nine others on the stern decided to remain on the floating stern rather than challenge the angry sea in a small lifeboat. All 16 men aboard the stern section would be rescued. The men on the bow section set out in two lifeboats, then disappeared. Eighteen men lost their lives.

Category:

Sports

Tags:

• New Jersey Wreck Dive
• Gulf Trade
• Scuba

[gunner08050]

I live in Manahawkin, and I keep my boat in BL. I want to get certified this spring. Are you interested in diving again in this area?