Maurice Tracy

Shipwreck Maurice Tracy
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.

Shipwreck Maurice Tracy
The superstructure
Shipwreck Maurice Tracy
The gun mount in the stern, now tipped over on its side. The gun itself has long since fallen off and been 'salvaged'. It is no doubt uglifying someone's front lawn, if it hasn't been carted off to the dump yet.
Shipwreck Maurice Tracy
Shipwreck Maurice Tracy
Launch of the partially complete Nordstrand
Jesse Billingsley
Liberty Ship Jesse Billingsley after the war as Laguna
441' x 56', 10,800 tons, 11kts, scrapped 1969


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from AWOIS:

H10224/86 -- OPR-C121-WH-86; WRECKAGE WITH 52 FT PNEUMATIC DEPTH GAUGE LEAST DEPTH, WHICH IS BELIEVED TO BE THIS ITEM, APPROXIMATELY 100M SW OF AWOIS POSITION; DIVERS FOUND THE WRECK OF A BARGE, APPROXIMATELY 20 X 45 M; THREE BOILERS AND NUMEROUS OTHER TYPES OF SHIPYARD DEBRIS WERE FOUND STREWN OVER AN AREA OF 360 X 165 FT; IN THE NW CORNER OF THE SITE THE REMAINS OF ANOTHER WRECK WAS FOUND WITH ONLY THE SHELL PLATING AND FLOOR FRAMING REMAINING; APPROXIMATELY 200 FT LONG, 27 FT BEAM AND SHELL PLATING EXTENDING 5 FT ABOVE THE BOTTOM; BOTH ENDS OF THE WRECK TAPERED INTO THE SAND WITH NO BOW OR STERN VISIBLE; ONE OBJECT CONSISTING OF GUARD RAIL TYPE METAL, APPROXIMATELY 2 FT WIDE, 3/8 INCH THICK, AND 40 FT LONG, FORMING A 60 DEGREE ARCH WITH THE MIDDLE STANDING 10 FT OFF THE BOTTOM; SITE CONSISTED OF TWO WRECKS AND SHIPYARD DEBRIS, INCLUDING A BOOM CRANE; LEAST DEPTH TAKEN ON THE TOP OF THE BOILER LOCATED AT THE NORTHEAST SECTION OF SITE. (UPDATED MSD 4/91)

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