Angela
Barge · United States · Lost 1971 · Buzzards Bay & Vineyard Sound
One of the largest cement barges ever built broke her tow in fog and now lies grounded and intact on a Buzzards Bay reef off Westport.
Become Captain of RecordSee Shipwreck on Map
The Vessel and Her Loss
The unmanned, self-unloading cement barge Angela was under tow toward Boston with roughly 70,000 barrels of cement when her towline parted in fog and rising seas on March 4, 1971. The tug anchored the barge and went to shelter in New Bedford to wait out the weather; a shifting current swung Angela onto Old Cock Ledge on Hen and Chickens Reef off Westport before the tug returned. No lives were lost. Divers later salvaged her engines and fuel, and the hull remains grounded on the reef, a popular shallow dive.
Vessel
- 1962
- Not established
- Avondale, Louisiana
- Steel
- 420 ft
- 80 ft
- 8512
- None, towed by tug
- Atlantic Cement Company
Loss
- March 4, 1971
- Grounding
- Old Cock Ledge, Hen and Chickens Reef, off Westport, Massachusetts
- Buzzards Bay
- Boston, Massachusetts
- About 70,000 barrels of powdered cement
- Not established
- 0
- Not established
The Wreck Today
- 30
- Intact, upright and partially submerged, resting atop the reef.
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
Position
- 41.46° N 71.03° W
- Approximate position
- Westport, Massachusetts
Position as published by Hunting New England Shipwrecks' shipwreck coordinates list.
Evidence
Overall confidence: Documented (76/100)
Hunting New England Shipwrecks (wreckhunter.net)
Build specifications, cause of loss, coordinates and wreck condition.
Wreck of the Angela Cement Barge, Mishaum Point dive account
Narrative of the towline parting, grounding, and later salvage.
