View source for SS R.P. Resor

{{Short description|Tanker ship built in 1936}}
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{{More citations needed|date=March 2023}}
{{One source|date=March 2023}}
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|Ship image=<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:R.P. Resor.png|300px|R.P. Resor sinking]] -->
|Ship caption=The ''R.P. Resor'' sinking, February 28, 1942.
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{{Infobox ship career
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|Ship name=''R.P. Resor''
|Ship namesake=
|Ship owner=[[Standard Oil Company of New Jersey]]
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|Ship registry={{flagicon|US}}
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|Ship builder=[[Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company]], [[Kearny, New Jersey]]
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|Ship launched= 1936
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|Ship homeport= [[Wilmington, Delaware]]
|Ship identification=
|Ship fate= Torpedoed by {{GS|U-578||2}}, 28 February 1942
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{{Infobox ship characteristics
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|Ship tonnage= {{GRT|7,541|long}}
|Ship length= {{convert|435|ft|9|in|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship beam= {{convert|66|ft|6|in|m|abbr=on}}
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|Ship draft={{convert|34|ft|7|in|m|abbr=on}}
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|Ship propulsion=[[Oil]] fired [[steam engine]], twin screws
|Ship speed= {{convert|12.7|kn|km/h}}
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|Ship crew=41 + 9 [[United States Navy Armed Guard|Navy Armed Guard]] gun crew
|Ship armament=1 × [[4"/50 caliber gun]]
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'''''R.P. Resor''''' was a [[petroleum tanker|tanker]] ship built in 1936 by the [[Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company]] of [[Kearny, New Jersey]] for the [[Standard Oil Company]]. She was torpedoed by the German [[U-boat]] {{GS|U-578||2}} on 28 February 1942 and later sank.

==Attack==
Leaving [[Houston, Texas]] on February 19, 1942, ''R.P. Resor'' was carrying 78,729 barrels ({{convert|12,517|m3|abbr=on}}) of [[crude oil]] to be carried to [[Fall River, Massachusetts]]. She had a crew of 41 commanded by Captain Frederick Marcus, and carried an [[ensign (rank)|ensign]] and eight [[United States Navy]] gunners. These men were needed to man a [[4"/50 caliber gun|{{convert|4|in|mm|adj=on|0}}/50 caliber gun]] mounted on the [[stern]]. German U-boat activity compelled ''R.P. Resor'' to steer a zigzag course with no navigation lights. Extra lookouts were posted.

According to the account of John Forsdal, seaman on the vessel during the attack, an unidentified object was spotted in the water. It flickered its lights, and subsequently, Forsdal reported by voice to the [[Bridge (nautical)|bridge]]. Soon after, a [[torpedo]] hit the port side. Debris flew into the air, and the deck erupted with flames. The crew, including Forsdal, were knocked down by the explosion. As he released the life raft and slid down the safety line into the water, three more torpedoes destroyed the port side hull. Oil poured out, coating the sea. Soon, the life raft had floated off. Forsdal swam for approximately 20 minutes before reaching the raft, which was half a mile from the burning ''R.P. Resor''. On it, he joined radio operator Clarence Armstrong. John Forsdal released the following statement after being rescued:

{{blockquote|Hooking my arms around the lifelines I rested for ten minutes or so in state of exhaustion. Sparks [Clarence Armstrong] was hanging to a lifeline on the other side of the raft. I was heavily weighted down with cold and clinging oil; the exertion of climbing up on the raft taxed my strength so seriously that I was unable to do anything but lie down. The cold and heavy oil seemed to be paralyzing my body.}}

===Rescue===
Flames were spotted by a lookout at the [[Shark River (New Jersey)|Shark River]] Lifeboat station, which was 20 miles (40&nbsp;km) away. A [[picket boat]] was dispatched. In attempt to find survivors, they shone a searchlight, combing the surrounding areas. They saw Forsdal, and after much difficulty, manually pulled him over the [[gunwale]]. Radio Operator Armstrong was never seen again.

Now, many [[United States Coast Guard]] boats were on scene. Coxswain Daniel Hey was found, but due to congealed oil, they resorted to extreme measures, namely removing the oil-soaked, weighted clothes. Mr. Hey was one of the eight navy gunners on the ship. According to his testimony, he was sleeping in his bunk when the torpedo struck, and subsequently jumped off the boat, along with three other gunners. The port lifeboat had been effectively immobilized by the flames. Mr. Hey was the only one of the three to survive the burning sea. He also said that "he saw the starboard lifeboat shove off into the gunnel".

When the flames on the water's surface died out, Navy vessels and aircraft searched the surrounding area for survivors. One body was recovered, but no other survivors, nor was the starboard lifeboat ever found.

==Sinking and wreck==
Since trapped air prevented the immediate sinking of ''R.P. Resor'', it was partially afloat for 46 hours. {{USS|Sagamore|AT-20|6}} took the drifting wreck in tow. The tow ended about {{convert|30|mi|km}} east of [[Barnegat Lighthouse]], where the hulk [[Ship grounding|grounded]]. The American Marine Insurance Syndicate paid $1,716,416 to the Standard Oil Company: the total hull value in its insurance agreement.

A buoy floats over the wreck, placed by the Hydrographic Office of the United States. The wreck was demolished and moved with wire to a safe depth of {{convert|50|ft|m}}. The wreck is partially destroyed, due to its relocation. The bridge and after tanks are unrecognizable. There is a large hole near the engine room, which allows easy access to inside rooms. The [[stern]] is still intact. Most of the [[superstructure]] has been destroyed. ''R.P. Resor'' was investigated by the Coast Guard's [[Sunken Tanker Project]] to determine if the tanker posed an ecological hazard. No further action was deemed necessary.

==References==
*{{cite book
  | last = Gentile
  | first = Gary
  | title = Shipwrecks of New Jersey
  | publisher = Sea Sports Publications
  | year = 1988
  | location = Norwalk, CT 06852
  | isbn = 096163992X}}

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{{February 1942 shipwrecks}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:R.P. Resor}}
[[Category:Shipwrecks of the New Jersey coast]]
[[Category:World War II shipwrecks in the Atlantic Ocean]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in February 1942]]
[[Category:1936 ships]]
[[Category:Ships built in Kearny, New Jersey]]
[[Category:Ships sunk by German submarines in World War II]]
[[Category:Oil tankers]]