Vamar Shipwreck Site

Significant dates

Vamar Shipwreck Site
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Florida Underwater Archaeological Preserve #9
Gulf of Mexico, looking in the direction of the Vamar from Mexico Beach
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Nearest city	Mexico Beach, Florida
Coordinates	29°53′56″N 85°27′48″W / 29.89889°N 85.46333°W / 29.89889; -85.46333Coordinates: 29°53′56″N 85°27′48″W / 29.89889°N 85.46333°W / 29.89889; -85.46333
Built	1919
NRHP Reference #	06000243^[1]
FUAP #	9
Added to NRHP	April 10, 2006
Designated FUAP	2004

The Vamar (originally christened the Kilmarnock) is an English 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]

Alternate names

The Vamar underwent several name changes in its history:^[2]

1919 - christened the Kilmarnock
1920s - renamed the Chelsea after being sold to a private firm
1928 - Rear-Admiral Richard Byrd acquires the ship for his journey to Antarctica. He renames 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". The ship was not designed to carry heavy loads.
- After days of rain, and a load of rain-soaked lumber, the ship's inherent instability and lowered center of gravity, could have led to her demise about 4 miles out to sea making her way to Guantanamo Bay.
1933 - the Vamar Shipping Company buys the ship and renames it the Vamar
1942 - March 21, after leaving Port St. Joe, Florida, Vamar sunk under suspicious circumstances. When asked the cause by his son, the Captain replied with his protest: he was ordered by the owners to load all the lumber to be shipped. This meant to much cargo above deck which created a high center of gravity. The ship was already known to roll heavily and the cargo made it worse to the point of taking on water once the ship cleared the harbor.
2004 - Vamar became Florida's Ninth Florida Underwater Archaeological Preserve and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

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, HNLMS Witte de With 3 Mar: USS Asheville, USS Perch 4 Mar: HMAS Yarra 6 Mar: HNLMS Pieter de Bitter 7 Mar: Arabutan 8 Mar: HNLMS Eland Dubois, HNLMS Jan van Amstel 10 Mar: Lady Nelson, Kongō Maru, Tenyo Maru, Yokohama Maru 11 Mar: HMS Naiad 12 Mar: Texan 13 Mar: Tama Maru No. 2 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 28 Mar: HMS Campbeltown, Raceland 29 Mar: Hertford, Z26 30 Mar: U-585

Other incidents	2 Mar: Ruth Kellogg, HMS Walney 4 Mar: 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 25 Mar: Imperial Transport

1941 1942 1943 February 1942 April 1942

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