Vamar Shipwreck Site

Vamar Shipwreck Site
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Florida Underwater Archaeological Preserve No. 9
Gulf of Mexico, looking in the direction of the Vamar from Mexico Beach
29°53′56″N 85°27′48″W / 29.89889°N 85.46333°W / 29.89889; -85.46333
Built	1919
NRHP reference No.	06000243[1]
FUAP No.	9
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	April 10, 2006
Designated FUAP	2004

The Vamar is a shipwreck (which sank on March 21, 1942) near Mexico Beach, Florida, United States.^[2] It is located 3.7 miles offshore from Mexico Beach. It became the ninth Florida Underwater Archaeological Preserve when it was dedicated in 2004.^[2] On April 10, 2006, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.^[3]

The Vamar underwent several name changes in its history:

• 1919 - 1920 built as a gun boat for the Royal Navy, named HMS Kilmarnock
• 1920 - 1923 S.S. Kilmarnock
• 1926 - S.S. Kilmarnock, registered Canadian
• 1928 - renamed the Chelsea after being sold to a private firm
• 1928 - 1930 Rear-Admiral Richard Byrd acquired the ship for his journey to Antarctica. He renamed the ship the Eleanor Bolling, in honor of his mother, Eleanor Bolling Byrd. During the voyage, due to rough seas, the crew nicknamed the ship the "Evermore Rolling".
• 1930 - sold to a seal hunting company
• 1933 - the Vamar Shipping Company bought the ship and renamed it the Vamar
• 1941 - sold to Bolivar-Atlantic Navigation Company, registered Panama
• 1942 - March 21, after leaving Port St. Joe, Florida carrying a load of lumber to Cuba, Vamar ran aground, capsized and sunk in heavy seas in 25 feet of water off Mexico Beach, Florida (29°54′N 85°27′W / 29.900°N 85.450°W / 29.900; -85.450) under suspicious circumstances. The pilot reported that the ship was overloaded and top heavy. Local suspicions that the ship had been sabotaged to block the channel into Port St. Joe led to a Coast Guard investigation, which was unable to verify the suspicions.^[4]
• 2004 - Vamar became Florida's Ninth Florida Underwater Archaeological Preserve and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.^[2]

• Original Vamar Underwater Archaeological Preserve Proposal (pdf or MS Word format) at The Underwater Archaeological Preserves
• Museums in the Sea Vamar

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Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in March 1942

Shipwrecks

• 1 Mar: USS Edsall, HMS Encounter, HNLMS Evertsen, HMS Exeter, USS Houston, USS Pecos, HMAS Perth, USS Pope, Rooseboom, U-656
• 2 Mar: HNLMS Banckert, USAT Don Esteban, Ha-13, HNLMS K X, HNLMS K XIII, HNLMS K XVIII, HNLMS Koning der Nederlanden, USS Pillsbury, USS Stewart, Toendjoek, Van Waerwijck, HNLMS Witte de With
• 3 Mar: USS Asheville, Koolama, SS Mary, USS Perch
• 4 Mar: HMAS Yarra
• 5 Mar: Auby
• 6 Mar: HNLMS Pieter de Bitter, Rononia
• 7 Mar: Arabutan, HNLMS Gouden Leeuw, Nyggjaberg, Uniwaleco
• 8 Mar: HNLMS Eland Dubois, HNLMS Jan van Amstel, Smyshlyony
• 10 Mar: Lady Nelson, Kongō Maru, Tenyo Maru, Yokohama Maru
• 11 Mar: HMS Naiad
• 12 Mar: Texan
• 13 Mar: Tama Maru No. 2, Tolten
• 14 Mar: U-133
• 15 Mar: U-503, HMS Vortigern
• 17 Mar: Île de Batz, San Demetrio
• 18 Mar: E.M. Clark
• 19 Mar: Papoose
• 20 Mar: HMS Heythrop
• 21 Mar: Vamar
• 23 Mar: British Prudence
• 24 Mar: HMS Southwold, U-655
• 26 Mar: HMS Jaguar, HMS Legion, HMS P39
• 27 Mar: USS Atik, U-587, Equipoise
• 28 Mar: HMS Campbeltown, Raceland
• 29 Mar: Hertford, Z26
• 30 Mar: U-585
• Unknown: Emilia, Panay

Other incidents

• 2 Mar: Ruth Kellogg, HMS Walney
• 4 Mar: USS Sargo, HMAS Tambar
• 5 Mar: Takao Maru
• 10 Mar: China Maru, Tama Maru No. 2
• 11 Mar: Komintern
• 15 Mar: Olean
• 16 Mar: Irish Willow, U-753
• 22 Mar: Kingston
• 23 Mar: USS Gato
• 25 Mar: Imperial Transport
• Unknown date: USS Drum

1941 1942 1943
February 1942 April 1942