Other types of vessel activity were noted to have occurred in the bank – namely, that of 1920s prohibition-era coastal smuggling. Stellwagen Bank was known to have been an anchorage area for rumrunners where they would rendezvous with other vessels to offload their cargo.

Given the large area that comprises Stellwagen Bank – as well as the diverse and broad types of activities that have occurred there historically, it is reasonable to believe that hundreds of, if not more, shipwrecks lie within the sanctuary boundaries. A small number of these shipwrecks have been located, with even fewer truly explored and documented. In part this is due to the depth of water in regions of the bank, which can exceed 400 feet, but it is also due to a lack of awareness on the part of the shipwreck diving community.

SS Portland - Photo: Hazegray

Perhaps the most coveted shipwreck in all of Stellwagen Bank is that of the paddle wheel steamer SS Portland, which sank during a devastating gale in late November 1898. All 157 passengers and 19 crew were lost with the vessel, which has been considered New England’s greatest maritime tragedy. The 291-foot vessel was enroute to Portland, Maine from Boston’s India Wharf on November 26, 1898 with holiday passengers. Despite warnings of an approaching storm, the Portland departed on schedule as planned and foundered during the night after a long struggle. There were numerous sightings of the Portland during that fateful night – some putting the vessel off of Cape Ann, others reporting sightings off Truro’s Highland Light. Wherever she truly was, the Portland never returned; the only clues about her sinking being wreckage and bodies floating ashore off the beaches of Truro on November 28.

The SS Portland was located in 1989 by John Fish, Pete Sachs and Arnie Carr. The identity of the wreck was confirmed by NOAA researchers in 2002. The Portland was found to be resting in over 400 feet of water, approximately 20 miles north of a position reported in the Automated Wreck Information and Obstruction System (AWOIS) database - 42 degrees 12'00.00 N x 70 degrees 07'00.00W. The SS Portland represents a historically significant shipwreck because of the great loss of life associated with her sinking, as well as being representative of a long-forgotten era in ocean-going travel driven to extinction in part due to a tragedy that triggered important changes in safety regulations for passenger vessels.  In 2005, the Portland was added to the National Register of Historic Places, affording it even greater protection.

Photo: Cram, B.W. Picture History of New England

The gale of 1898 – now known as the "Portland Gale" – resulted in the sinking of over 140 vessels in New England over the course of the storm. Among those vessels is the freighter Penatoget, originally constructed as a Civil War era gunboat and converted into a coastal cargo freighter. Also previously known as the Hero and Mocassin, the Pentagoet was sailing a route from New York City to Rockland, Maine and then Bangor at the time of the November gale. She was reportedly carrying a cargo of toys intended for holiday shoppers in Maine – and was lost with all hands during the Portland Gale. The wreckage rests in the southern portion of Stellwagen Bank in relatively shallow water and is sometimes referred to as the "Toy Wreck."

Frank A. Palmer - Photo: Maine Maritime Museum

Louise B. Crary - Photo: Maine Maritime Museum

The Frank A. Palmer, believed to be the largest 4-masted schooner ever constructed, collided with the 5-masted schooner Louise B. Crary on December 17, 1902. The vessels were both coal schooners, bound for the Boston area to relive an energy crisis brought on by a series of severe winter storms with unprecedented low temperatures. It was believed that the Crary errored in its navigation – plowing into the port side of the Palmer. So severe was the collision that both vessels began to sink quickly with little time to abandon the vessels. In the end, there were four fatalities resulting from the sinking. Survivors drifted in lifeboats for 4 days before being discovered by rescuers off Cape Cod.

The Palmer and Crary wrecks were located in 1989 by John Fish and Arnie Carr of American Underwater Search and Survey, Ltd. The vessels are still locked together on the sea floor and resting in over 300 feet of water, as can be seen in dramatic images obtained by side scan sonar survey.

Paul Palmer - Photo: NOAA SBMNS

Another shipwreck in Stellwagen Bank is that of the 5-masted coal schooner Paul Palmer. The Palmer was built in Walderboro, Maine in 1902 and operated by J.S. Winslow and Company. This 2193 gross ton vessel – with dimensions of 276 feet x 44 feet x 24 feet – burned and sank off Provincetown in June of 1913. There were no fatalities and at the time, the schooner had no cargo aboard. The wreck lies in shallow water on the southern portion of the bank and is mostly buried by sand.

Restless (No. 110736) – Cod fishing vessel that burned southeast of Gloucester's Eastern Point on October 4, 1942

Natalie Hammond (No. 211861) – A schooner used for cod and mackerel fishing until she foundered and sank on July 29, 1937

Leah F (No. 254102) – A 176 gross ton diesel powered wooden trawler that foundered and sank on June 4, 1949

References and additional information:

http://stellwagen.noaa.gov/about/sitereport/shipwrecks.html

http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/03portland/logs/sept18/sept18.html

http://stellwagen.noaa.gov/about/newsreleases/2002pr12-16noaa.html