page_title: List of shipwrecks in 1958
section_title: 28 December
hierarchical_section_title: List of shipwrecks in 1958 / December / 28 December
caption_attribution_description: The stern of the wrecked tanker African Queen, circa in August 1960. The African Queen was built in 1955 and registered in Liberia. It was 180 m long, had a beam of 22 m and displaced 13,800 grt. In December 1958, it carried a mixed cargo, including highly volatile paints and 21,000 tons of crude oil from Colombia to Peterborough, New Jersey (USA). On 30 December 1958 the ship ran aground on Gull Shoal in a storm due to a navigational error. The captain tried to get his vessel off the shoal by odering full astern. Under the strain of being pulled astern with waves crashing over her side the African Queen broke in half. The result was devastating, a massive oil spill that polluted the coast of Ocean City, Maryland (USA). The crew was rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard. The entire stern section was re-floated and towed to shore, the front part sank in a later storm. Note: The description in the USS Valley Forge (CVS-45) 1960 cruise books reads: "The African Queen, divided but undaunted, was encountered in mid-Atlantic with its crew of three." This happened during the return voyage across the Atlantic from the Mediterranean Sea. The aircraft carrier USS Valley Forge (CVS-45) was deployed to the Mediterranean Sea from 9 June to 30 August 1960. Therefore the photo was obviously taken more than 1 1/2 years after the shipwreck.
context_page_description: The list of shipwrecks in 1958 includes ships sunk, foundered, grounded, or otherwise lost during 1958.
caption: Stern of the wrecked tanker African Queen.
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