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 The
Eureka, a 128 foot tug boat, was built in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1898.
The original owners were the Staples Coal Co., Fall River, Massachusetts.
However, the last owners listed in Lloyd's Register are Martin Marine
Transportation Co., Inc., Philadelphia. She had a 26 foot beam and weighed 353
gross tons.
The
wreck we know as Eureka sits in 110 feet of water, 16 miles south of Jones
Inlet. A few years ago, either in
1981 or 1982, a couple of local
divers recovered a nice relic from the wreck when they were able to cut off and
raise her five foot diameter bronze propeller. According to Captain George
Quirk, this wreck is not really the tug boat Eureka, but an unidentified clam
dredge. His reasoning is the lack of towing bits on the wreck, plus the remains
of fishing gear. I would have to support George's conclusion due to the fact
that there is no listing of a vessel sinking with the name Eureka in the area,
and upon further investigation and with the assistance of marine historian, Bill
Schell, I have located a record in Lloyd's Register that the Eureka was
dismantled in 1950.
 Whatever
she is, the wreck known as Eureka, which is also called Broadcast or Broadcoast,
is a magnificent wreck dive. She lies in a straight line, her boilers sticking
up eight to ten feet off the bottom. Her engine is upright and her prop shaft is
easily recognizable. There is also a steam winch and a mast, sitting in the sand
off her port side. This wreck has become known for the abundance of bottles
recovered around her
and for a few large
lobsters
each season.
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Underwater 3-D sketch of the Eureka Shipwreck. By Dan Berg and Aaron Hirsh
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For many years this wreck was thought to be the Eureka tugboat. The wreck is actually unidentified.
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Side Scan sonar image of the Eureks shipwreck site. By Dan Berg
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Jimmy Fazalorie, Bob and Randi Eisen after a dive to the Eukeka Shipwreck.
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Underwater 3-D sketch of the Eureka Shipwreck. By Dan Berg and Aaron Hirsh
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