W.E Hutton (Papoose)

Depth: 125 feet

Vessel Type: Tanker

Length: 435.0 feet Breadth: 56.0 feet

Cargo: 65,000 barrels of #2 heating oil

Built: 1920, Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipbuilding Corporation, Alameda, California, USA

Lloyd's Register Details: Steel screw, 2 Decks, P.B. & F., Oil fired vessel, aft machinery, triple expansion 3 cylinder engine, 3 Scotch Boilers

Former Names: Portola Plumas (United States Shipping Board: 1920-1923)

Date Lost: March 19, 1942

Sunk By: U-124 Survivors: 23 of 36 survived (13 dead)

Charter Type: Offshore roughly 2hrs 40min from inlet

History: March 18, 1942, The Hutton was traveling from Smith's Bluff, Texas, to Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania loaded with 65,000 barrels of #2 heating oil. The tanker was traveling unarmed and unescorted. Although the ship was taking precautionary measures such as having running lights off and blackout curtains up she was spotted by the U-124 north of Cape Lookout

Shortly after claiming another war casualty by sinking the Papoose in the early morning of March 19, U-124 fired two torpedoes towards the tanker. One torpedo missed, but the second hit the starboard bow, and the blast caved in the bow. The U-124 fired a third torpedo striking the port side under the bridge.The W.E. Hutton then burst into an inferno. Shortly thereafter the ship slipped beneath the waves.

Dive Site: The wreckage of the Hutton lies fairly contiguously. Although the stern section is fairly flat and broken up, it is quite easy to navigate and has a tendency to harbor tropical fish, Sand tiger sharks, lion, fish, and turtles. The wreck lays mostly upside down with the higher points being at the rudder and the bow. The “break” section resembles an upside down watermelon and is roughly mid ship.

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