A 463-foot long British tanker, the San Delfino had departed Houston, Texas, headed to England via New York, with a precious load of aviation fuel and munitions for the war effort. She was well armed, with a 4-inch gun and numerous machine guns fore and aft. Late at night on April 9, 1942, a single torpedo sealed her fate, engulfing the vessel in flames which would eventually send her to the bottom. The wreck had long been thought to rest in 200 feet of water off Oregon Inlet, but recent investigation revealed the San Delfino is found at a site locally known as the "Green Buoy Wreck." 

The stern section of the wreck is mostly intact, though angled over to starboard; the large stern deck gun still remains on top. The San Delfino's large diesel engine and single boiler mounted aft of the engine is a key piece of evidence for the wreck's identification. The wreck is cloaked in coral that has transformed the tanker into a spectacular wreck when visibility is good. Recently, divers have located the inverted bridge superstructure that has slid from the wreck and is off in the sand. Portholes and cage lamps have been recovered from this area in 1998, and will undoubtedly yield more.

MORE INFORMATION ON THE WRECK'S IDENTIFICATION CAN BE FOUND IN ISSUE 10 OF WRECK DIVING MAGAZINE