Josephine
Marie
The
Josephine Marie was a steel-hulled stern trawler that now
lies in 100 feet of water on top of Stellwagen Bank. Built in
1969 by the Bender Welding and Machine Company, Inc. of Mobile,
Alabama, the vessel was 80 feet long and 154 gross tons. Based
in Gloucester, MA the Josephine Marie actively fished in
Massachusetts Bay until 1 February 1992 when disaster struck.
Josephine Marie tied up in Gloucester. Courtesy of John
Harper.
While
returning from a routine fishing trip, the crew radioed the Coast
Guard that the Josephine Marie was taking on water and
needed immediate help. A Coast Guard helicopter lowered two pumps
to the sinking vessel, but the crew was unable to get them working.
The trawler's crew abandoned ship and were rescued by the F/V
Italian Gold and taken to shore.
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Side scan sonar image of the
Josephine Marie. Courtesy of
NOAA/SBNMS.
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The
red-hulled Josephine Marie lies upside down with
its bow facing roughly northwest. Divers are free to visit
the site, but should be aware of hazards such as strong
currents and fishing gear.
Josephine Marie Coordinates (two formats provided):
Decimal Degrees
N 42.18208 W 70.22443
Degrees
Minutes
N 42 10.925 W 70 13.466
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Click
here for underwater video of the Josephine Marie shipwreck
The Josephine Marie's propeller makes a great photo backdrop
(courtesy of Doug Costa, NOAA/SBNMS).
Brightly colored invertebrates cover the Josephine Marie
(courtesy of Matthew Lawrence, NOAA/SBNMS).
The vessel's keel and keel coolers are now home to sponges and
sea stars (courtesy of Matthew Lawrence, NOAA/SBNMS).
Dogfish are frequent visitors to the shipwreck and may be seen
feeding on sand lance (courtesy of Doug Costa, NOAA/SBNMS).
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