The R.P. Resor was a tanker ship built in 1936 by the Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company

Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company

The Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company was a United States shipyard, active from 1917 to 1949. During World War II, it built ships as part of the U.S. Government's Emergency Shipbuilding Program. Operated by a subsidiary of the United States Steel Corporation, the shipyard was located at...

 of Kearny, New Jersey

Kearny, New Jersey

Kearny is a town in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. It was named after Civil War general Philip Kearny. As of the United States 2010 Census, the town population was 40,684. The town is a suburb of the nearby city of Newark....

 for the Standard Oil Company. She was torpedoed by U-boat U-578 on 28 February 1942, and later sank.

Disaster

Leaving Houston, Texas

Houston, Texas

Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...

 on February 19, 1942, the R.P. Resor was carrying 78,729 barrels (12,517 m³) of crude oil to be carried to Fall River, Massachusetts

Fall River, Massachusetts

Fall River is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It is located about south of Boston, southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, and west of New Bedford and south of Taunton. The city's population was 88,857 during the 2010 census, making it the tenth largest city in...

. She had a crew of 41 commanded by Captain Frederick Marcus, and carried an ensign

Ensign (rank)

Ensign is a junior rank of a commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries, normally in the infantry or navy. As the junior officer in an infantry regiment was traditionally the carrier of the ensign flag, the rank itself acquired the name....

 and eight navy gunners. These men were needed to man a four-inch gun mounted on the stern

Stern

The stern is the rear or aft-most part of a ship or boat, technically defined as the area built up over the sternpost, extending upwards from the counter rail to the taffrail. The stern lies opposite of the bow, the foremost part of a ship. Originally, the term only referred to the aft port section...

. German U-boat activity compelled the R.P. Resor to steer a zigzag course with no navigation lights. Extra lookouts were posted.

Attack

According to the account of John Forsdal, seaman on the boat during the attack, an unidentified object was spotted in the water. It flickered its lights, and subsequently, Forsdal reported by voice to the bridge. Soon after, a torpedo hit the port side. Debris flew into the air, and the deck erupted with flames. The crew, including Forsdal, was knocked down by the violent explosion. As he released the life raft and slid down the safety line into the water, three more torpedoes destroyed the port side hull. Oil poured out, coating the sea. Soon, the life raft had floated off. Forsdal swam for approximately 20 minutes before reaching the raft, which was half a mile from the burning R.P. Resor. On it, he joined radio operator Clarence Armstrong. John Forsdal released the following statement after being rescued:

12:40 am—land reaction and rescue

Flames were spotted by a lookout at the Shark River

Shark River (New Jersey)

The Shark River is a river in eastern New Jersey that rises in eastern Monmouth County and flows southeast for , continuing through Neptune Township and Wall Township...

 Lifeboat station, which was 20 miles (40 km) away. A picket boat was dispatched. In attempt to find survivors, they shone a searchlight

Searchlight

A searchlight is an apparatus that combines a bright light source with some form of curved reflector or other optics to project a powerful beam of light of approximately parallel rays in a particular direction, usually constructed so that it can be swiveled about.-Military use:The Royal Navy used...

, combing the surrounding areas. They saw Forsdal, and after much difficulty, manually pulled him over the gunwale

Gunwale

The gunwale is a nautical term describing the top edge of the side of a boat.Wale is the same word as the skin injury, a wheal, which, too, forms a ridge. Originally the gunwale was the "Gun ridge" on a sailing warship. This represented the strengthening wale or structural band added to the design...

. Radio Operator Armstrong was never seen again.

Now, many coast guard

Coast guard

A coast guard or coastguard is a national organization responsible for various services at sea. However the term implies widely different responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with customs and security duties to being a volunteer organization tasked with...

 boats were on scene. Coxswain Daniel Hey was found, but due to congealed oil, they resorted to extreme measures, namely removing the oil-soaked, weighted clothes. Mr. Hey was one of the eight navy gunners on the ship. According to his testimony, he was sleeping in his bunk when the torpedo struck, and subsequently jumped off the boat, along with three other gunners. The port lifeboat had been effectively immobilized by the raging flames. Mr. Hey was the only one of the three to survive the burning sea. He also said that "he saw the starboard lifeboat shove off into the gunnel".

When the flames on the water's surface died out, Navy vessels and aircraft searched the surrounding area for survivors. One body was recovered, but no other survivors, nor was the starboard lifeboat ever found.

Sinking and subsequent effects

Since trapped air prevented the immediate sinking of the R.P. Resor, it was partially afloat for 46 hours. The took the drifting wreck in tow. The tow ended about 30 miles (55 km) east of Barnegat Lighthouse

Barnegat Lighthouse

Barnegat Lighthouse or Barnegat Light, colloquially known as "Old Barney", is a historic lighthouse located in Barnegat Lighthouse State Park on the northern tip of Long Beach Island, in the borough of Barnegat Light, New Jersey, on the south side of Barnegat Inlet.-19th century:The development of...

, where it grounded.

The American Marine Insurance Syndicate paid US$1,716,416 to the Standard Oil Company: the total hull value in its insurance agreement.

A buoy floats over the wreck, placed by the Hydrographic Office of the United States. The wreck was demolished and moved with wire to a safe depth of 50 feet (15 m). The R.P. Resor was investigated by the Coast Guard's Sunken Tanker Project to determine if the tanker posed an ecological hazard. No further action was deemed necessary.

The wreck today

The wreck is partially destroyed, due to its relocation. The bridge and after tanks are unrecognizable. There is a large hole near the engine room, which allows easy access to inside rooms. The stern is still intact. Most of the superstructure has been destroyed.