Historial and Archaeological Assessment of the T2-SE-A1 Tanker S.S. Gulfstag
Authors: Melancon Mark Anthony , Blackmon James Ray 
Published: May 2011

The National Register Bulletin, Nominating Historic Vessels and Shipwrecks to the National Register of Historic Places, published by the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service National Register, Number 20 stipulates specific criteria a vessel/shipwreck must meet to qualify for inclusion in the National Register. This paper assesses the historical and archaeological significance of the T2-SE-A1 tanker S.S. Gulfstag as outlined by the National Register Bulletin. Historical background research, personal correspondence, the interpretation of remote sensing side scan sonar, magnetometer, analog subbottom profiler, and bathymetric data sets, as well as the Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) video were all utilized in an attempt to reliably determine if any aspect of the S.S. Gulfstag rose to the level required for inclusion in the National Register Bulletin.

Historical research of the vessel determined the S.S. Gulfstag was a T2-SE-A1 tanker built in 1944 by Sun Shipbuilding and Drydock Company in Chester, Pennsylvania under the original name S.S. Fort Schuyler. After final construction in 1944, the S.S. Fort Schuyler was lease-loaned to the Dutch government, where it delivered oil and aviation fuel to the Allied Forces during World War II. After the war, it was sold to Gulf Oil Corporation in 1947 and renamed the S.S. Gulfscout. It was later modified for increased cargo capacity in 1958 and renamed the S.S. Gulfstag. The S.S. Gulfstag continued performing routine transports for Gulf Oil Corporation until October 1966, when multiple explosions due to the ignition of gasoline vapors in the aft pumproom resulted in her sinking. In December 1966, the vessel was refloated and towed to deeper waters for final sinking.

Introduction

The purpose of this paper is to assess the possible historical and archaeological significance of the S.S. Gulfstag as outlined by the National Register Bulletin, Nominating Historic Vessels and Shipwrecks to the National Register of Historic Places, published by the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service National Register, Number 20. Findings submitted in this report are based on historical background research, personal correspondence, the interpretation of remote sensing side scan sonar, magnetometer, analog subbottom profiler, and bathymetric data sets, as well as the Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) video.

Background Overview

The S.S. Gulfstag is a T2-SE-A1 tanker built in 1944 by Sun Shipbuilding and Drydock Company in Chester, Pennsylvania under the original name S.S. Fort Schuyler. After final construction in 1944, the S.S. Fort Schuyler was lease-loaned to the Dutch government, where it delivered oil and aviation fuel to the Allied Forces during World War II. After the war, it was sold to Gulf Oil Corporation in 1947 and renamed the S.S. Gulfscout. It was later " jumboized?? for increased cargo capacity in 1958 and renamed the S.S. Gulfstag. The following written text is a history of pertinent aspects of the vessel and its activities during it's lifetime, spanning from it's construction in 1944, to it's final sinking in 1966.

General Characteristics of T2-SE-A1 Tankers

The T2-SE-A1 tanker was the most common type of T2 tanker built for the United States Maritime Commission (USMC) during World War II. The design of the T2-SE-A1 was based on a commercial ship design already in use by Sun Shipbuilding Company for Standard Oil Company of New York prior to the start of World War II (Sawyer 1974).