The steel steam tanker William Rockefeller was launched from the Philadelphia yard of William Cramp and Sons in 1916. She measured 430.0′ x 58.0′ x 33.0′ and her tonnage was 7157 gross tons. She was powered by a triple expansion steam engine delivering 567 nominal horse power. Ordered by the Standard Oil Company of New York she was requisitioned the United States Navy for war service in 1918 soon after the United States entered the war. She was one of seven similar vessels requisitioned to help increase the vital flow of fuel oil to the theatre of war in Europe. She and the other ships were quickly integrated into the Naval Overseas Transportation Service and began risky but essential Transatlantic voyages loaded with fuel oil.
Profile plan William Rockefeller
In February 1918 she completed a successful crossing bringing a full cargo from Philadelphia to Sheerness before immediately returning to Philadelphia for another load. She sailed again from Philadelphia with her tanks full on 29th April arriving in
Lamlash on 15th May. Three days later on 18th May she set off for her final destination at Rosyth under the escort of two Royal Navy destroyers. She had a crew of sixty four men and eleven officers aboard. The three vessels made their way safely
up the Scottish west coast, through the Pentland Firth and turned south east to head for Kinnaird Head.
William Rockefeller under way
When she reached a point approximately 20 miles east of Kinnaird Head on the 18th May William Rockefeller was attacked by the German U-boat UC-58 under the command of Kapitanleutnant Kurt Schwartz. The tanker was hit by a torpedo from the German submarine and quickly began to sink. Three men were killed in the explosion but the remainder were able to disembark onto various craft from the escorting vessels and other vessels that quickly arrived on the scene. A huge effort was initiated to try to capture or sink the attacking submarine. An intriguing article appeared in the Pensacola Journal of 4th June which reported that, after a huge but successful effort, the submarine was forced to surface and surrender as they ran out of air. However this would appear to be an example of war propaganda as the German records show the UC-58 returned to port unharmed and was later to sink two more allied vessels in June and September 1918. In fact her final victim was the SS Muriel sunk near Peterhead on 17th September.
The huge wreck of the William Rockefeller lies in position 57° 45.422’N, 001° 21.803’W oriented 055/235 degrees. She sits upright and fairly in tact in a depth of 89 metres with a least clearance of 72 metres. The wreck was positively identified in
2018 when divers recovered crockery bearing the Standard Oil Corporation crest.
We would like to thank Lloyd’s Register Foundation – Heritage & Education Centre for allowing us to reproduce documents from their archive in this article.
