New Jersey Scuba Diving

Type:

shipwreck, ferry, USA

Built:

1925, Staten Island NY USA

Specs:

( 75 x 40 ft ) 84 tons

Sunk:

Wednesday January 11, 1961
capsized under tow in storm, no casualties

GPS:

40°11.646' -73°56.787' (AWOIS 1990)

Depth:

55 ft

The Vega was a small diesel-electric automobile ferry that operated for the Port Richmond - Bayonne ferry service. She had a capacity of 10 cars and 50 passengers. After her last run in December of 1960, she was sold along with her two sisters, Altair and Deneb, to a firm in Jacksonville, Florida. While all three were under tow to their new owner, Vega's cable parted in heavy seas and she capsized. Altair and Deneb did not sink and were returned to Staten Island that day. The Vega's steel hull came to rest upside-down and is seldom visited today. Also known as "The Upside-down Ferry."

Historical details courtesy of Jeff Cavorley

Vega was built in the Mariner's Harbor area of Staten Island in 1925, along with her sisters, Altair and Deneb. Directly after leaving the shipyard, the trio entered into service for the Bayonne-Port Richmond ferry line, where it remained in service until December of 1960. Within weeks, the Vega and her sisters were sold to a private firm in Jacksonville, Florida. Unfortunately the ferries never made it there. On January 11, 1961, while under tow along the Jersey Coast, the Vega sank in heavy seas. As for her sisters, Altair and Deneb survived the storm, returning to Staten Island. Today the Altair sits at the bottom of the Gulf, off of Alabama. Deneb was last seen on the Mexican Registry, but its status today is a question mark ...