New Jersey Scuba Diving

Type:

shipwreck, collier, USA

Built:

1916, Ashtabula OH USA, as Nordstrand, later Sekstant

Specs:

( 253 x 43 ft ) 2468 gross tons

Sunk:

Saturday June 17, 1944
collision with freighter Jesse Billingsley - no casualties

Depth:

70 ft

Victim of one of the many wartime collisions, the Maurice Tracy is today a scattered debris field of flattened hull plates and larger pieces, although not as thoroughly demolished as many other wartime wrecks.

The stern of the Tracy is the highest part, with the curve of the fantail still evident. Referring to the picture above, the pilothouse is still partially intact, and almost upright, as is the platform for the deck gun, at the extreme rear of the vessel. Between the deck gun and the pilothouse is a great deal of semi-collapsed wreckage, with many spaces large enough to squeeze inside of, and inhabited by Blackfish and lobsters. Just aft of the pilothouse are the twin boilers, side by side and very large, with open ends.

Forward of the pilothouse, the wreckage is low-lying, scattered, and discontinuous. The debris field is very large, and striking out over the sand ( using a wreck reel ! ) can yield interesting results. The bow probably represents the largest piece here, but there really isn't very much to it. Lobsters especially are more likely to be found in the outlying chunks than in the heavily fished main wreckage. Artifact hunters should look elsewhere - no brass here.

The bottom is clean and sandy, and there is a great deal of sea life around this wreck. I saw some very large lobsters get taken, skates, and the biggest Conger Eel I have ever seen inside one of the boilers. Unfortunately, conditions at this near-shore site are very hit and miss; currents, surge, and visibility vary considerably.