MV Argo Merchant
 The Argo Merchant, run aground southeast of Nantucket. A silvery oil slick can be seen coming from the center holds. | |
| Career | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Argo Merchant, formerly Arcturus |
| Builder: | Howaldtswerke, AG, Hamburg |
| Launched: | 1953 |
| Fate: | Ran aground December 15, 1976 |
| Status: | Sunk, Destroyed |
| Notes: | Comp 38 |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage: | 18,743 grt |
| Length: | 641.3 ft (195.5 m) |
| Beam: | 84.4 ft (25.7 m) |
| Draught: | 34.8 ft (10.6 m) |
| Speed: | 16 Knots |
Argo Merchant was a Liberian-registered oil tanker that ran aground southeast of Nantucket Island, Massachusetts, on 15 December 1976. Six days later, on 21 December, the shipwreck broke apart, causing one of the largest oil spills in history.
The shipwreck
In December 1976, Argo Merchant loaded with 7,700,000 US gallons (29,000,000 l) of No. 6 fuel oil at Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela, sailing for Boston under Captain Georgios Papadopoulos. It was later established that the ship carried two unqualified crew as helmsmen, a broken gyrocompass, inadequate charts, and an inaccurate radio direction finder. At six p.m. on 15 December in high winds and 10 ft (3.0 m) seas, the tanker ran aground on Middle Rip Shoal at position 41°01′59″N 69°27′00″W / 41.033°N 69.45°WCoordinates: 41°01′59″N 69°27′00″W / 41.033°N 69.45°W — about 25 nautical miles (46 km; 29 mi) southeast of Nantucket and more than 44 km (27 mi) off her intended course. The thirty-eight members of the crew were evacuated, but the shallow waters and weather conditions made it impossible to offload the oil or salvage the ship. On 21 December 1976, Argo Merchant broke apart and emptied its entire cargo of fuel oil, enough to heat 18,000 homes for a year. Fortunately, northwesterly winds blew the 60 by 100 nmi (110 by 190 km; 69 by 120 mi) oil slick offshore, and coastal fisheries and beaches were spared the worst.
Argo Merchant featured in the category of 'The worst ship' in the 1979 publication The Book of Heroic Failures.
- Argo Merchant breaking apart.jpg
The Argo Merchant breaking apart on December 21, 1976.
References
- Emergency Response Division, Office of Response and Restoration, National Ocean Service. "Argo Merchant". IncidentNews. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, US Department of Commerce. http://www.incidentnews.gov/incident/6231. Retrieved 2010-05-12.
- Hook, Norman (1989). Maritime Casualties, 1963-1996. London: LLP Limited. ISBN 1859781101.
- Winslow, Ron (1978). Hard Aground: The Story Of The Argo Merchant Oil Spill. New York: W. W. North. ISBN 0393056872.
