SS Marine Sulphur Queen
An image of SS Marine Sulphur Queen. | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| United States | |
| Name | SS Esso New Haven |
| Owner | Bethlehem Steel Company |
| Builder | Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Co. |
| Yard number | 407 |
| Launched | 8 March 1944 |
| Renamed | SS Marine Sulphur Queen, 1960 |
| Identification |
|
| Fate | Went missing southwest of Florida on or after 4 February 1963 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | T2 tanker |
| Tonnage | |
| Length | 504 ft 0 in (153.62 m) |
| Beam | 68.2 ft 0 in (20.79 m) |
| Depth | 93.2 ft 0 in (28.41 m) |
| Crew | 39 |
SS Marine Sulphur Queen, formerly Esso New Haven, was a T2 tanker converted to carry molten sulphur. It is notable for its disappearance in 1963 near the southern coast of Florida, taking the lives of 39 crewmen.
In the investigation, the Coast Guard determined that the ship was unsafe and not seaworthy, and never should have sailed. The final report suggested four causes of the disaster, all due to poor design and maintenance of the ship. The loss of the ship was the subject of lengthy litigation between the owner and families of the missing men.
Despite the clear cause of the disaster and its last known position being off Florida in the Gulf of Mexico, an inaccurate and incomplete version of the ship's disappearance is often used to justify Bermuda Triangle conspiracies.