North Star
Fishing Vessel · Lost 2003 · Boston Harbor & Massachusetts Bay
North Star capsized with a clam dredge on Stellwagen Bank in 2003; both crew were rescued.
Become Captain of Record
The Vessel and Her Loss
Built at Portland, Maine, in 1967, North Star, formerly Bonaventure, was an eastern-rig dragger based in Gloucester. On August 28, 2003, she capsized while lifting her clam dredge aboard. The Coast Guard attributed the rollover to the combined weight of clams aboard and in the dredge. Both crew escaped into the water and were rescued by Half Fast before a Coast Guard boat took them to Provincetown. The wreck fragmented during sinking and was later moved or damaged by fishing gear; its former dive site is no longer available.
Vessel
- 1967
- Not established
- Portland, Maine
- Not established
- 55 ft
- Not established
- 45 gross tons
- Not established
- Royal K. Lowell
Loss
- August 28, 2003
- Mechanical failure
- Stellwagen Bank, Massachusetts Bay
- Massachusetts Bay
- Not established
- Clams
- 2
- 0
- Not established
The Wreck Today
- Not established
- Fragmented into three pieces during sinking. Hull, clam dredge and deck machinery subsequently moved or destroyed by fishing activity.
- Not established
- Not established
- Within Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary
Position
- Not established
- Position not established
- Provincetown, Massachusetts
NOAA labels 42°23.052′ N, 70°21.343′ W former coordinates; fishing gear moved or destroyed wreck pieces. Historical point not presented as a current wreck location.
Evidence
Overall confidence: Well documented (91/100)
Material, builder, exact breadth and current wreck position are not established here; NOAA’s coordinates and 100-foot depth describe the former site.
NOAA Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary — North Star
Complete ship statistics, historical sinking narrative, crew rescue and present-site account; uncertain mechanism or displaced former location qualified.
