Tanker Virginia. U.S. Coast Guard photo. Photo courtesy the Mariners Museum, Newport News, Virginia.

The bulk carrier Virginia was constructed in 1941 by Welding Shipyards, Inc. of Norfolk, Virginia.  The vessel was 501.2 feet long, 70.0 feet in width, and had a depth of 38.5 feet.  The Virginia was owned by National Bulk Carriers, Inc., a shipping firm that was established in 1936 by Daniel K. Ludwig.  Ludwig, who eventually became the owner of the world’s largest bulk carrying fleets, founded Welding Shipyards, Inc. soon after the beginning of World War II, and the yard consisted of one berth 600 feet in length and employed around 800 men.  There was no riveting equipment utilized at the shipyard, so all vessels were welded together.

During its short existence, the Virginia was primarily utilized for the trading of oil and petroleum.  On May 12, 1942 the tanker was carrying 180,000 barrels of gasoline from Baytown, Texas to Baton Rouge, Louisiana when it was suddenly torpedoed three times by the German vessel U-507.  The Virginia was immediately engulfed in flames and then rapidly sank.  Forty-one crewmembers were aboard the Virginia on the day of the attack, and only twelve men survived.

Marine Archaeologist Dr. Rob Floyd identified a large shipwreck (left) near the Mississippi River as the Virginia.  The latest marine survey of the area was conducted in the summer of 2003 by Gulf Ocean Services, inc. for the Remington Oil and Gas Corporation.  The sonar, magnetometer, and bathymetry data collected during the survey reveals the wreck partially buried in the mud with debris scattered out away from the vessel.  Water depth at the wreck site averages 280 feet.  There has been no known prior video collected at this site.  Visibility is expected to be extremely limited with large amounts of silt of the site.