The Kyzikos was a 292' long Greek tanker bound for Spain from Baltimore with a cargo of crude oil in December of 1927. Caught in a heavy gale, she drifted southward, taking on large quantities of water after rupturing her aged hull. Eventually, she lost all power and became helpless to the pounding seas. By morning of 4 December, the Kyzikos had run onto a shoal off Kill Devil Hills.

The Kyzikos began its service career as a Great Lakes ore carrier in 1900 as the Paraguay. Due to a decline in freight rates the ship's owner, A.B.Wolvin, sold it to Sun Oil Company in 1901. Sun Oil converted the ship into its first oil tanker. Between 1902 and 1924 the ship served the company hauling oil from Texas to Pennsylvania and even went across the Atlantic twice. After World War I oil tankers increased in capacity and number, outclassing those of the Paraguay's dimensions. In 1927 Sun Oil Company sold the ship to Costi Xydia and Sons and renamed it Kyzikos. It was on her maiden voyage under new registry that Captain Kantanlos encountered the storm. This was the last voyage for the Kyzikos.

The relentless waves continued to erode the vessel. Several crew members were swept overboard. The impact of the grounding, coupled with the lashing of the waves broke the back of the tanker and the bow began to swing around and alongside the stern. Desperate men in the stern thought their signals had been answered when out of the dark lights began to appear. As the lights grew closer they soon realized that the lights belonged to their own crewmen on the stern of their own ship. Crewmen on the bow quickly scrambled for a gangplank and moved the men from the stern to the more substantial section of the bow, which was floating free and heading for shore. The Lifesaving Service was able to secure the Lyle gun and breaches buoy to rescue the remaining men, though the ship was unsalvageable.

Over the years the wreck broke into two large sections; the bow pointing towards shore and angles toward the north, the stern section pointing towards the south. Surprisingly the ship broke between the engine room and the first oil tanks so no oil was lost. Salvors recovered the entire cargo after the storm subsided. Two years later the stricken tanker served as a target for U.S. Army Air Force bombers in aerial bombing exercises.

The Kyzikos rests just offshore of Kill Devil Hills at Mile Marker 7. Known as part of the "Triangle Wreck," the site consists of three parts: the stem of the Kyzikos, the entire hulk of the Carl Gerhard and the bow of the Kyzikos, forming the three legs of a triangle. The bow of the Kyzikos and Carl Gerhard lie in the surf zone at a depth of about 15'; the stern section lies in 20' of water. Nothing remains above water to mark the site although at low tide the surface is within inches of the top of the stern section. Most easily discernible in the stern section of the Kyzikos is the huge quadruple expansion engine. Also visible are the two Babcock and Wilcox Alert boilers, though their component parts have become disarticulated over time. Sand continuously covers and uncovers this site depending on the season and the intensity of storms, therefore the wreck's appearance constantly changes. Visibility is generally better at this site than at the further south USS Huron; divers can check with the nearby lifeguard for current conditions. Best dove at high tide after a period of little wind, divers can see scattered hull plates and other wreckage resting in 15' of water. The site is accessible via a beach road; divers can walk south down the beach approximately 200m, until in line with the Kill Devil Hills water tower. Swimming 200m offshore should place one over wreckage which many times is visible from the surface as sections rise to within 5' of it. Tautog, sea bass, bluefish, and copious amounts of mussels can be found amongst the wreckage.