Shipwreck Log - Page 11

On June 10, the United States Coast Guard listed the 30 foot fishing vessel Seahorse as overdue. The Seahorse was last known to be fishing in Cape Cod Bay near the “Target” shipwreck (read more below) off Eastham, Massachusetts. The Coast Guard states the vessel and the 2 crew members onboard were to have been back in port on June 8 and that a ping from a cell phone of a crew member had located the vessel just 2 miles offshore of Chatham. The Coast Guard has asked for anyone who has any information about the missing fishing vessel to contact the Southern New England Command Center. The Seahorse has a painted mermaid on its bow and the name of the vessel painted on the stern.

SS James Longstreet: The “Target” shipwreck

In the spring of 1945, the 441 foot long, 7000 dwt liberty ship SS James Longstreet was run aground on New Found Shoal off Eastham, Massachusetts. The vessel was only 3 years old being built in 1942 in Houston, Texas. During the war, the SS James Longstreet had completed three voyages which included reaching Australia, India and Sri Lanka along with trips to various ports to England. The liberty ship was able to avoid submarines and enemy planes, but the vessel was less unlucky on its return trip to America. In late 1943, the SS James Longstreet got caught in a severe nor’easter and was unable to keep itself from going aground off Sandy Hook, New Jersey. Salvage efforts were able to pull the vessel free, but the liberty ship had sustained too much hull damage and declared a total loss.

Rather than scrap the liberty ship, the US Navy repaired the hull, but stripped the SS James Longstreet of all its machinery and gear. The vessel was then towed to various locations to be moored for “target practice” The Navy moored the vessel off New York until a gale in November 1944 the SS James Longstreet broke her moorings and drifted away. The vessel evaded the US Navy until December 8 when it was recovered and towed to Norfolk. There the vessel was there until February 1945 when it was towed to its final resting place in Cape Cod Bay. There the SS James Longstreet was grounded on the reef and allowed to settle where much of the hull remained above water. For years the vessel was used for target practice until 1970 when it was left as a derelict. The hulk remained visible until late 1996 when a storm caused the remains to sink into deeper water. Reports state that part of the vessel can still be visible on certain low tides. However, the site is off limits to divers due to the risk of unexploded ordnance in the area.

María Cristina

June 10, 2025 Paul Hancock

On June 10, the fishing vessel María Cristina ran aground in the Atlantic Ocean near Cabo Vilán, Spain. The Salvamento Marítimo reports the two crew on board the María Cristina were rescued by the 10 meter long fishing vessel A Fervenza (MMSI: 224329790) which is proceeding to Camariñas for medical observation. Spanish authorities have dispatched the 21 meter long search and rescue vessel Salvamar Altair (MMSI: 224013350) to inspect the incident site. No further details reported.

Wan Hai 503

June 9, 2025 Paul Hancock

On the morning of June 9, the 269 meter long, 51300 dwt container ship Wan Hai 503 (IMO: 9294862) caught fire in the Arabian Sea some 40 km west of the Beypore-Azhikkal coast of India. The Wan Hai 503 was proceeding to Nhava Dheva from Colombo with 650 containers when one or more containers exploded amidships. The explosion resulted in many containers destroyed with 20 upwards to 50 containers that fell overboard into the sea. The explosion resulted in a fire which quickly spread to other containers and throughout the vessel.

The fire could not be contained and 18 of the 22 crew members on the Wan Hai 503 abandoned ship. Ten crew members escaped using the no. 2 lifeboat while 8 others used one of the vessel’s life rafts. Four crew members were reported missing and may have perished from the explosion.

The Indian Coast Guard and Navy conducted a search and rescue operation and safely recovered the 18 crew members. Three crew members were injured along with two others who had suffered severe burns from the fire. The Coast Guard also issued an advisory in the area for the risk of drifting containers off the coast. Aircraft were deployed to monitor the Wan Hai 503 for potential pollution released with the risk of more containers falling into the sea along with oil pollution if the container ship would sink.

Indian authorities has asked the vessel owners, Wan Hai Lines, to appoint a salvage company with fire fighting capabilities to recover the Wan Hai 503. However, the fire has consumed much of the forward container holds, the Wan Hai 503 may sink before any salvage attempt can be made. The container ship was last reported to have developed a list to port caused by water ingress. The container ship was reported to be drifting south to southeast and there is concern any oil pollution released would impact the areas of Kozhikode and Kochi.