AH-WR-1801

Josephine Marie

Fishing Trawler · Lost 1992 · Boston Harbor & Massachusetts Bay

Josephine Marie foundered on Stellwagen Bank in 1992; all four crew were rescued, but the direct cause remains uncertain.

Become Captain of Record See Shipwreck on Map

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents. See the documented evidence.

Interpretive Reconstruction, drawn to convey the vessel's era, type and general form. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

Built at Mobile, Alabama, in 1969 by Bender Welding and Machine Company, Josephine Marie was a steel stern trawler based in Gloucester. Returning from a fishing trip on February 1, 1992, she began taking water north of Provincetown after an apparent strike on an unknown object. A Coast Guard helicopter delivered pumps, but the crew could not make them work in 15–20-foot seas. All four abandoned ship and were rescued by Italian Gold. Later survey dives did not establish the direct cause; the vessel lies upside down on Stellwagen Bank in 105 feet of water.

Vessel

Built: 1969
Builder: Bender Welding and Machine Company
Yard: Mobile, Alabama
Material: Steel
Length: 80 ft
Beam: Not established
Tonnage: 154 gross tons
Propulsion: Not established
Owners: Not established

Loss

Date: February 1, 1992
Cause: Not established
Location: Stellwagen Bank, north of Provincetown, Massachusetts
Water: Massachusetts Bay
Voyage: Not established
Cargo: Not established
Aboard: 4
Lives lost: 0
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: 105 ft
Condition: Upside down with sand blocking former interior access. Fishing gear covers machinery; bow, rudder and exposed pipes support marine life.
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: Not established
Protection: Within Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary

Position

Coordinates: 42.18° N 70.22° W
Accuracy: Reported, unconfirmed
Nearest: Provincetown, Massachusetts
Region: Boston Harbor & Massachusetts Bay

NOAA published decimal position retained as reported/unconfirmed; no horizontal-error estimate supplied. Listed degrees-minutes conversion is slightly rounded.

Evidence

Overall confidence: Well documented (92/100)

Direct cause of sinking, exact breadth, ownership and discovery date are not established; object-strike and hatch explanations remain unproven.

NOAA Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary — Josephine Marie
Complete ship statistics, historical sinking narrative, crew rescue and present-site account; uncertain mechanism or displaced former location qualified.