Great Isaac
Tugboat · United States · Lost 1947 · The New Jersey Coast
A wartime-built Navy fleet tug, sunk in a 1947 collision off Barnegat Light, now one of southern New Jersey's most-visited wreck dives.
The Vessel and Her Loss
Built in 1944 for the U.S. Navy and operated under contract by Moran Towing, the Great Isaac was a large ocean-going tug. In April 1947 the Norwegian freighter Bandeirante gashed her engine room while she was on a routine tow off Barnegat Light, and she sank with all crew surviving. She now lies on her port side and has become one of the most frequently dived wrecks on the Jersey coast.
Vessel
- 1944
- General Ship Corporation
- East Boston, Massachusetts
- Steel
- 185 ft
- 37 ft
- 1117
- Diesel, single screw, 2,250 hp
- U.S. Navy (War Shipping Administration); operated by Moran Towing Company
Loss
- April 16, 1947
- Collision
- Off Barnegat Light, New Jersey
- Atlantic Ocean
- Not established
- Not established
- 27
- 0
- Not established
The Wreck Today
- 90 ft
- Lies intact on its port side, buried to the midline in sand
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
Position
- 39.67° N 73.92° W
- Approximate position
- Barnegat Light, New Jersey
Approximate position from a recreational dive-site atlas; not verified against an official survey.
Evidence
Overall confidence: Documented (82/100)
Build data, collision details, wreck condition.
Diving conditions and popularity of the site.
