James Delgado on uncovering shipwrecks
A dive team has identified a shipwreck off the coast of Nantucket as a World War I-era fishing boat that sank nearly 100 years ago with more than 20 men aboard.
The ST Seiner was last seen in January 1929, according to a news release from the Atlantic Wreck Salvage, a company that searches for lost wrecks. The 139-foot ship, built in 1921, set sail from New London, Connecticut, on Jan. 9. The ship's captain made his last daily report to the Portland Trawling Company on Jan. 18. The next day, no report was made. The ship was set to arrive in port on Jan. 22, but never did, according to the news release. The news release did not say which port the ship was headed to.
Seiner's sister ship, Harvard, which shares some features with the Seiner. The vessel's windlass, hawsepipe, and raised forecastle deck are visible in the photo.
Boothbay Historical Society
The Seiner was believed to have foundered and sank in a storm, the news release said. There were 21 men, including the captain, aboard when the ship went down. The men were from Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York and Newfoundland, Canada.
The Portland Trawling Company and the U.S. Coast Guard mounted a search and rescue mission at the time, but no survivors were found. Previous attempts to search for the wreck in the 1990s failed because of the location of the wreck site.
In 2022, a team used Atlantic Wreck Salvage's search vessel D/V Tenacious to discover the wreck site on Georges Bank, about 125 miles off the coast of Nantucket. The wreck site was about 200 feet underwater, the company said. Time and weather conditions meant the team members could not dive down to the wreckage. The shipwreck 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.
Diver Joe Mazraani photographs the Seiner's rounded stern.
Joe Mazraani and Becca Boring
The ship had a number of distinctive features, including a double drum trawl winch and a raised forecastle deck, which helped divers confirm its identity, the news release said. Divers also took note of the ship's steam engine and boiler. Photos taken by the dive team show the ship's unique features.
Sonar scans confirmed that the sunken vessel's length and beam matched that of the Seiner.
"No other steel or iron hull steam trawlers of this size are known to have sunk on Georges Bank," said Captain Eric Takakjian, one of the leaders of the expedition, in the news release.
The Seiner's double drum trawl winch.
Joe Mazraani and Becca Boring
Jennifer Sellitti, the managing member of Atlantic Wreck Salvage, said that the discovery is "bittersweet." The company said that the descendants of the men lost aboard the ship are encouraged to reach out to them.
"While the team celebrates this important historical find, we are mindful of the loss endured by the families, colleagues, and loved one of those who went down with the ship," Sellitti said. "We hope this discovery can provide some measure of closure to the descendants of those who perished."
Kerry Breen is a news editor at CBSNews.com. A graduate of New York University's Arthur L. Carter School of Journalism, she previously worked at NBC News' TODAY Digital. She covers current events, breaking news and issues including substance use.
