World War II Tanker Wreck Reef

Built in 1920, the S.S. John Worthington was an Esso tanker. She made 20 voyages during the war before she was torpedoed off Brazil on May 27, 1943. Despite a hole the size of a house, the Worthington's crew sailed her all the way to Galveston where it was eventually determined that she was beyond repair. After being stripped and partly salvaged, the ship was abandoned behind San Jose Island where she eventually succumbed to the sea.

The S.S. John Worthington is not officially included in the Texas Artificial Reef Program. Having come to rest in shallow State waters before the Program existed, the wreck is neither monitored nor maintained by the Program but is included on our web pages for the benefit of anglers, divers and the general public. Twelve WW II Liberty Ships and one tanker are located at other reef sites along the Texas coast.

Diving opportunities on the Worthington are limited due to the shallowness of the site and variable water clarity. Visibility varies from good to poor. Anglers can target typical bay fishes such as sheepshead and spotted seatrout.

The water depth at the shipwreck site is 25 feet, and the depth to the wrecks is 10 feet in places.

Site of the S.S. John Worthington is in the Lydia Ann Channel. It is located at approximately 27 degrees, 51 minutes, 42.296 seconds North and 97 degrees, 3 minutes, 05.600 seconds West. This point can be reached by sailing 1.5 nautical miles up the Lydia Ann Channel from Port Aransas.

For more information: S. S. John Worthington WWII Tanker Wreck (PDF 729.8 KB)