SS Keshena Oct 2021

On July 15th, 1942, a convoy of nineteen merchant vessels was hunted by the U-576 off the coast of Cape Hatteras, NC. After firing a salvo of torpedoes, two ships, the tanker Mowinkel and the freighter Chilore, were struck by torpedoes but both were able to escape. A third ship, the freighter SS Bluefields, was not so lucky and sank in four minutes after being hit by torpedoes.

The salvage tug Keshena, during World War 2, was used for coastal salvage work and manned by Merchant Mariners. She came to assist the two damaged ships. When the Keshena was helping the tanker, J. A. Mowinkel, an explosion occurred in the after part of the engine room. A crewman was killed in the blast.

The wreck is now located in 80 feet of water. The bow offers good relief and the engine and boilers rise up from the bottom.