AH-WR-1107

Patriot

Fishing Vessel · United States · Lost 2009 · Cape Ann & the Gulf of Maine

A Gloucester dragger capsized on Stellwagen Bank while hauling its net, drowning both crewmen within sight of the surface.

Become Captain of Record See Shipwreck on Map

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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

Historically Reconstructed. Drawn from partial documentation of this vessel together with her known class and configuration. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

Patriot was a steel western-rig dragger built in 1997 at Beaufort, North Carolina, fishing out of Gloucester under owner Gerry T. Smith. On January 3, 2009, after hauling in her trawl net on Stellwagen Bank, the vessel suddenly capsized, and both crew members drowned before they could escape. A Coast Guard investigation found the sinking was caused by a rapid loss of stability. The wreck, still bearing the name Patriot on its bow, now lies on its side and has become a recognized memorial and dive site within the sanctuary.

Vessel

Built: 1997
Builder: Not established
Yard: Beaufort, North Carolina
Material: Steel
Length: 62 ft
Beam: 22 ft
Tonnage: 44
Propulsion: Diesel, single screw, stern trawler
Owners: Gerry T. Smith

Loss

Date: January 3, 2009
Cause: Mechanical failure
Location: Massachusetts Bay, on Stellwagen Bank
Water: Massachusetts Bay, within Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary
Voyage: Gloucester, Massachusetts
Cargo: Not established
Aboard: 2
Lives lost: 2
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: 100 ft
Condition: Lies on its starboard side on a sandy bottom; moved roughly 900 feet by 2012 winter storms.
Orientation: Starboard side down
Discovered: Not established
Protection: Within Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary