MAURICE TRACY

The Maurice Tracy was a 253 foot by 43 foot, steam powered collier. Built back in 1916, she was originally named Nordstrand and later Sekstant.

On June 17, 1944, the Maurice Tracy was en route from Portland, Maine, to Norfolk, Virginia, with a cargo of coal, when she was rammed by the liberty ship, Jesse Billingsley. The Tracy's crew were all rescued from the slow sinking vessel by the sub chaser,SC-412, which along with the SC-1355 had been escorting the Jesse Billingsley.

Today, the wreck sits in 70 feet of water. Most of her hull plates and structure have become a low lying debris field. This wreck is a good spot for lobster hunting.

Photo above left: Capt George Hoffman hoisting the bell from the Maurice Tracy aboard the old Sea Lion dive boat. Photo courtesy Gene Peterson Atlantic Wreck Divers

Underwater Photo by Herb Segars: The Maurice Tracy lies in 70' of water off Seaside Park, New Jersey, USA. A 253' long collier (coal transport vessel) that was built in 1916in Ashtabula, Ohio. She was originally called the Nordstrand and then later the Sekstant. She has a beam of 43' and weighed in at 2468 gross tons. The Maurice Tracy sank on June 17, 1944 after a collision with the freighter Jesse Billingsley. There is a lot of scattered debris and I found two large boilers not far from the platform that held a deck gun. The mount is still there but the deck gun is long gone.

 

Maurice Tracy Shipwreck. Photo courtesy Dan Berg Wreck Valley Collection.	Porthole recovered by Capt. George Hoffman from the Maurice Tracy Shipwreck. Photo courtesy Dan Berg Wreck Valley Collection.