Morehead City, North Carolina, United States
The Papoose (often referenced as the SS Papoose) is a US tanker torpedoed by the German submarine U-124 on the night of 18 to 19 March 1942 off Cape Lookout, North Carolina, during the height of Operation Drumbeat. Two of the 33-man crew were lost. The wreck has long been identified as the Papoose by NC dive operators, although NOAA has documented that the actual identity of the upside-down hulk is debated and may instead be the SS W.E. Hutton (also torpedoed in the same period); for the purposes of this dive description we use the operator-traditional name as that is how it is dispatched. The wreck lies inverted on a sand bottom at 37 metres about 35 nautical miles south of Morehead City, with the keel around 30 metres. The hull has corroded into a complex of overhangs and debris fields ideal for shelter, and the site is famous for resident sand tiger sharks: aggregations of 20 to 60 animals are routine in summer. Visibility is excellent during Gulf Stream weeks.
Information on this page, including technical data such as depth, current, visibility, access, and recommended level, is informational and may vary. Confirm actual conditions with a local operator before the dive.
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