SS Mopang
42°28.086′N 27°41.685′E / 42.468100°N 27.694750°E
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | SS Mopang |
| Owner | United States Shipping Board |
| Operator | A. H. Bull & Co. |
| Route | Constantinople to Burgas |
| Builder | Submarine Boat Co yards in Newark, New Jersey |
| Yard number | 90 |
| Launched | 15 November 1919 |
| Completed | 10 January 1920 |
| Maiden voyage | 20 January 1920 |
| Fate | Sank on 30 June 1921 after hitting a mine |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement | 3545 GRT |
| Length | 102.3 m (336 ft) |
| Beam | 14.1 m (46 ft) |
| Installed power | One steam engine producing 1,500 hp |
| Propulsion | One quadruple-blade propeller |
| Speed | 10.5 knots (19.4 km/h) |
| Crew | 39 men |
Mopang was a Sub Boats type (EFC Design 1023) cargo steamship built in 1920 by the Submarine Boat Co shipyard in Newark, New Jersey owned by Electric Boat Company (later General Dynamics).[1] The ship was produced as part of a special program of the US Shipping Board that provisioned 150 identical ships to compensate for the losses from the war. The vessel sank on July 1, 1921[2] after hitting a mine near the port of Burgas.
The wreck lies largely intact on its starboard side at a depth between 20 m (66 ft) and 33 m (108 ft) of water. Height from the bottom is 7 m (23 ft). The main damage from the explosion is to the bow section of the ship. Clearly discernible are the superstructures, parts of the funnel and deck. The holds and some of the cabins are freely accessible. Parts of the cargo – a heap of boots, wooden boxes with spare parts, etc. are visible in the holds. The screw with a diameter of around three meters and the stern hoist are in place. The anchor chain slides along the hull and sinks into the silt on the bottom. Probably the anchor came loose at the time of sinking and wound itself about the ship.
In August 2018, oil leaked from the ship after severe weather and strong underwater currents, but authorities described the leak as "minimal and quite limited." A ship from the European Maritime Safety Agency was sent to the area to collect oil that had leaked into the water. Plans were also made to pump the remaining fuel out of the ship's tanks.[3]
See also
References
- ^ Search report for 2219280 Miramar Ship Index
- ^ Sixth Annual Report of the United States Shipping Board—Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 1922. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. 1922. p. 118.
{{cite book}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ "Fuel oil leaks from U.S. ship sunk in 1921 near Bulgaria". Xinhua. August 13, 2018.