Patriot

A black and white ship at a dock
The fishing vessel Patriot in Gloucester, Mass. Photo: courtesy of Phil Cusumano.

Ship Stats

Patriot (ex Danielle Marie, Sarajen, Captain Todd)

Depth: 100 feet

Length: 62 feet Breadth: 20-25 feet Depth of Hold: N/A

Tonnage: 44 gross tons

Built: 1997, western rig dragger, Beaufort, North Carolina

Port of Registry: USA

Owner: Gerry T. Smith

Date Lost: January 3, 2009

Crew: 2

Sunk By: Capsize Survivors: 0 out of 2

Data Collected on Site: Scuba diver photography

Significance: The wreck serves as a memorial site and scuba diving site; it is home to schools of cod and pollock.

Present Day

The bow of a shipwreck
The Patriot's name is still legible on the vessel's bow. Photo: Matthew Lawrence, NOAA/SBNMS

The red and black-hulled Patriot lies on its starboard side on a flat sandy bottom and is now home to schools of cod and pollock. Divers should be on the lookout for entangling fishing nets. The sanctuary asks that visiting divers be mindful that two fishermen lost their lives when the vessel sank.

Winter storms in 2012 moved Patriot 900 feet to the south, tumbling the trawler across the seafloor. Its new geographic coordinates are listed below.

Patriot Coordinates:
42-24.256 N x 70-27.197 W

Historical Background

The bow of a shipwreck
Although the Patriot offers an interesting dive destination for exploration, its sinking led to the unfortunate demise of two crew members. Photo: Matthew Lawrence, NOAA/SBNMS

Patriot fished in Massachusetts Bay until January 3, 2009, when disaster struck. After Patriot hauled in its nets following a tow on Stellwagen Bank, it suddenly capsized. The two crew members onboard were unable to escape the sinking vessel and drowned. A Coast Guard investigation found that the vessel sank due to a rapid loss of stability.

A small boat rests on its side at the bottom of the ocean
An entangled trawl net partially enshrouds the Patriot's bow. Photo: Matthew Lawrence, NOAA/SBNMS
Two divers swim around a shipwreck
Winter storms in 2012 moved the Patriot 900 feet to the south and left the stern angled to the seafloor. Photo by Matthew Lawrence, NOAA/SBNMS
Many fish gather under an overturned part of a shipwreck
Cod and other fishes, once caught by fishing boats like the Patriot, now use the vessel to hide from predators. Photo by Matthew Lawrence, NOAA/SBNMS