Lost At Sea ~ New Jersey Scuba Diving

Lost At Sea

Lost at Sea

Adriatic
Beth Dee Bob
Cape Fear
Ellie B

In January 1999, four clam boats were lost in separate incidents in the span of less than three weeks. First, on January 6, the Beth Dee Bob sank in rough weather with all hands. Two days later, the Cape Fear sank under similar circumstances. On January 18, the Adriatic went down with all hands, one day after the Ellie B ran up on the rocks at Manasquan Inlet. In total, 10 lives were lost, sparking a major Coast Guard investigation into safety practices on commercial fishing vessels.

Fishing Vessel Casualty Task Force Report, March 1999

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Adriatic

"This picture was taken several years ago by my wife, Debbie. We were searching for the Adriatic's lost clam dredge that day. Later, after the sinking, my group of divers was the first to dive on and identify her. I used this picture at the dive site to set the dive plan and objectives."

- Capt. Duane Clause, Porthole II

Type:: shipwreck, clam dredge, USA
Built:: 1977, Master Marine, Bayou La Bâtre AL USA
Specs:: ( 74 ft ) 134 gross tons, 4 crew
Sunk:: Monday January 18, 1999
foundered in rough seas - no survivors
Depth:: 65 ft

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Beth Dee Bob

Type:: shipwreck, clam dredge, USA
Built:: 1990, Bock Marine, Beaufort NC USA
Specs:: ( 84 ft ) 96 tons, 4 crew
Sunk:: Wednesday January 6, 1999
foundered in rough seas - no survivors
Depth:: 120 ft

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Cape Fear

Under tow to the reef, with crushed wheelhouse and no masts

Type:: artificial reef, clam dredge
Built:: 1983, James K Walker Marine, Moss Point MS USA
Specs:: ( 112x24 ft ) 188 gross tons
Sunk:: Wednesday March 8, 2000 - Moriches Artificial Reef
Depth:: 75 ft
GPS:: 40°43.505' -72°46.386'

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Ellie B

Type:: shipwreck, clam dredge, USA
Built:: 1978, Ancient City Boat Yard, St. Augustine, FL USA
Specs:: ( 68 ft ) 3 crew
Sunk:: January 17, 1999; ran up on jetty
no casualties
Depth:: 15 ft

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Insurance & Emergencies

You would have to be crazy to dive in the North Atlantic ( or anywhere ) and not protect yourself with inexpensive accident insurance coverage available from DAN - Diver's Alert Network. Check your existing health insurance policy, and you will most certainly find that accidents involving scuba diving are excluded ( skydiving too ).

DAN offers various packages, tailored to everyone from the most occasional Caribbean diver to the hard-core Andrea Doria techie. Coverage includes recompression chambers, transport, and other costs, both in and out of the country. The yearly fee for all this is not much more than the cost of a mask, or a single day's boat diving, and also includes membership in the organization and a subscription to their excellent safety-oriented magazine Alert Diver.

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