SS Papoose
| History | |
|---|---|
| Dutch East Indies United States | |
| Name |
|
| Owner |
|
| Builder | Southwestern Shipbuilding & Drydock Co., San Pedro |
| Cost | $2,000,000 |
| Yard number | 25 |
| Laid down | 20 October 1920 |
| Launched | 30 June 1921 |
| Sponsored by | Mrs. Earl L. Miller |
| Commissioned | 10 August 1921 |
| Maiden voyage | 31 August 1921 |
| Homeport |
|
| Identification |
|
| Fate | Sunk, 19 March 1942 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Tanker |
| Tonnage | |
| Length | 412.0 ft (125.6 m) |
| Beam | 53.3 ft (16.2 m) |
| Depth | 31.0 ft (9.4 m) |
| Installed power | 2,800 ihp, 556 Nhp |
| Propulsion | Hooven, Owens & Rentschler 3-cylinder triple expansion |
| Speed | 11 knots (20 km/h; 13 mph) |
Silvanus was a steam tanker built in 1920–1921 by the Southwestern Shipbuilding & Drydock Company of San Pedro for the Anglo-Saxon Petroleum Company with the intention of transporting oil and petroleum products between Dutch East Indies and various destinations in Europe and the Far East. The tanker was employed in this capacity through the first part of 1926. In April 1926 Silvanus collided with the tanker Thomas H. Wheeler in the Mississippi River, resulting in the explosion and death of 26 seamen. Silvanus was declared a total loss and sold at auction to the newly formed Petroleum Navigation Company of Texas. The tanker was rebuilt and renamed Papoose and started operating in March 1927. In March 1942, she was attacked by German U-boat U-124 off the coast of North Carolina. The ship drifted for several days and eventually sank in 200 feet (61 m) of water off Oregon Inlet.