John Worthington Wreck

General Comments

HISTORY CL551/1945--COE LTR 8/18/45; COE REPORTS THAT THE WRECK OF THE SS JOHN WORTHINGTON WHICH SANK NEAR PORT ARANSAS HAS BEEN MOVED TO A LOCATION IN LYDIA ANN CHANNEL, APPROXIMATELY TWO MILES NORTH OF PORT ARANSAS AND DIRECTLY OPPOSITE THE ARANSAS PASS LIGHTHOUSE. IT IS GROUNDED IN SHALLOW WATER NEAR THE EASTERLY BANK OF THE LYDIA ANN CHANNEL. THE HULK EXTENDS WELL ABOVE THE WATER SURFACE AND IS APPROXIMATELY 150 FEET FROM THE EASTERLY BANK. NM37/1945(9/15/45)--(4335); REPORTS ABOVE IN APPROXIMATE POSITION LAT 27/51/45N, LONG 97/03/02W (NAD27). T9185/1947-48--NOS; VISIBLE WK (NE END BARES 15 FT AT MHW), POS SCALED FROM PHOTO MANUSCRIPT IN LAT 27/51/48N, LONG 97/02/57.2W (NAD27). WRECK LAYS NE/SW WITH THE SW END IN RUINS. THE LOA WAS SCALED FROM THE MAP AT APPROXIMATELY 390 FT LONG. TP01198/1983--NOS; REVIEWED CLASS; WK SHOWN AS VIS. AT HIGH WATER. POS HAS NOT CHANGED. (ENT. LQ 12/87) LNM36/1986(9/10/86)--(247-86); TEMP LIGHTED BUOY EST. IN APPROX POSITION LAT 27/51/47N, LONG 97/02/59W (NAD27), IN 25 FT OF WATER (CHANNELWARD OF CHARTED WRECK WHICH IS NOW SUBMERGED. (THIS WRECK IS SUNK BUT NOT SUBMERGED) H10322/1989-90-- OPR-K229-AHP; VISIBLE WRECK LOCATED IN LAT27/51/47.25N, LONG. 97/02/59.41W(NAD83). EVALUATOR RECOMMENDS REVISING POSITION OF WRECK UNCOVERING 3 FEET AT MLLW. (UP. 8/29/90, SJV) THE VESSEL LENGTH WAS TAKEN FROM THE RAW DATA RECORDS AS 197FT X 25FT BEAM. PHOTOS OF WRECK ARE INCLUDED IN THE RAW DATA. A PHOTO SHOWS THE WRECK UNCOVERING 3 FT AND ABREAST OF ARANSAS BAY LIGHT # 87. (UPDATED 9/1999 RWD CAB) RAW DATA RECORDS FOR AWOIS 5016 MAKE REFERENCE TO THIS ITEM AS " WRECKAGE NEAR LT. 87 I.E. LIBERTY SHIP". LNM29/1993(7/20/93)--(027-90)- 8TH CGD; SUNKEN BARGE REPORTED TO BE JUST BELOW THE SURFACE IN LAT 27/51/42N, LONG 97/03/05W. THE BARGE IS IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO ARANSAS BAY ALTERNATE ROUTE LIGHT 97. AN ADDITIONAL AID, ARANSAS BAY ALTERNATE ROUTE TEMPORARY LIGHTED BUOY WR-99 HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED IN APPROXIMATE POSITION LAT 27/51/46N, LONG 97/03/01W, APPROXIMATELY 50 FEET TO THE CHANNEL SIDE AND SOUTH OF THE WRECK. (SEE DESCRIPTION BELOW) DESCRIPTION **** TELCON (MR. DAVE LEDET, 8TH CGD, 6/25/2001); FROM LNM 29/1993 ABOVE, THE "SUNKEN BARGE" REPORTED IN APPROXIMATE LAT 27/51/42N, LONG 97/03/05W" IS AN OIL BARGE, AWOIS # 5016. THE "JUST BELOW THE SURFACE" IS THE WORTHINGTON, AWOIS #5020. THE DESCRIPTION GIVEN IN LNM29/1993, "CLOSE PROXIMITY TO ARANSAS BAY LT 97,.. AND ARANSAS BAY LIGHTED BUOY WR-99, ESTABLISHED IN APPROXIMATE POSITION LAT 27/51/46N, LONG 97/03/01W," APPROXIMATELY 50 FEET TO THE CHANNEL SIDE (OFFSHORE) AND SOUTH OF THE WRECK," COULD ONLY MARK THE WORTHINGTON #5020. ALSO, PHOTOS MR. LEDET PROVIDED WHICH SUPPORTED THE LNM ARE ANNOTATED AS "PORTIONS OF WRECK AWASH" AND "ALMOST BREAKING SURFACE" SHOW THE WRECK VISIBLE, AND GIVEN AT 100 YARDS FROM EAST BANK. MR. LEDET INDICATED THAT FILES FOR THESE RECORDS HAD BECOME MERGED. (UPDATED 6/2001 RWD)