Wreck of ship that sank nearly a century ago found 200 feet underwater

A diving team identified a shipwreck off the coast of Nantucket as a fishing boat from the time of the First World War which sank almost 100 years ago with more than 20 men on board.

The St Seiner was seen for the last time in January 1929, according to a press release from Atlantic Wreck Salvage, a company that is looking for lost wrecks. The 139 -foot ship, built in 1921, sailed in New London, Connecticut, on January 9. The captain of the ship made his last daily report at the Portland Trawling Company on January 18. The next day, no report was made. The ship was to arrive at the port on January 22, but never did it, according to the press release. The press release did not tell what port the ship was heading.

The Seiner would have founder and sunk in a storm, the press release said. There were 21 men, including the captain, on board when the ship fell. Men came from Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York and Newfoundland, Canada.

The Portland Trawling Company and the American Coast Guard organized a research and rescue mission at the time, but no survivor was found. Previous attempts to research the wreck in the 1990s failed due to the location of the wreckage site.

In 2022, a team used the Atlantic Wreck Salvage D / V Research ship to discover the Wreck of Georges Bank, about 125 miles off Nantucket. The wreckage site was about 200 feet underwater, said the company. Time and weather conditions meant that team members could not dive to the wreckage. The sinking was not identified at the time.

In July 2025, the team returned to the site and made a total of seven dives over two days. The team was able to identify the wreck as that of the Seiner.

The ship had a number of distinct characteristics, including a double drum winch and a raised forecast game, which helped divers confirm its identity, the press release said. The divers also took note of the steam engine and the ship’s boiler. The photos taken by the diving team show the unique features of the ship.

Sonar scans confirmed that the length and beam of the cast ship corresponded to that of the Seiner.

“No other steel or iron steam trawler of this size is known to have flowed on Georges Bank,” said Captain Eric Takakjian, one of the leaders of the expedition, in the press release.

Jennifer Sellitti, general member of Atlantic Wreck Salvage, said that the discovery was “bit bitter”. The company said that the descendants of men lost aboard the ship were encouraged to contact them.

“While the team celebrates this important historical discovery, we are aware of the loss endured by families, colleagues and a loved one of those who fell with the ship,” said Sellitti. “We hope that this discovery will be able to provide a certain closure to the descendants of those who have perished.”