Wed., October 19
The J.B. King bobbed in the choppy, pitch-black Atlantic waters off the coast of Massachusetts 108 years ago. The barge was laden with cement bags and barrels - 357 gross tons in all - and riding blind as Captain Weter and crew awaited a tow to port. But as the Boston Globe recounts, on that day in 1903, things quickly took a turn for the worse. Captain and crew abandoned ship as the J.B. King went down, sinking to the bottom of the harbor in the dead of night.
The waters off New England have seen thousands of vessels over the years. But while the surface remains relatively calm, underneath lurks the husks of once-great ships: mighty schooners, oversize fishing boats, yachts, pleasure craft and even submarines, all laid to rest in the Atlantic sands. Many have been located, many others still await discovery.
Today we talk with Victoria Stevens, who is the curator of the Hull Lifesaving Museum, about the many ships laid to rest in Boston Harbor. Hull Lifesaving Museum maintains a full list of discovered wrecks and maps. We also talk with Dave Clancy. He's a longtime diver and explorer who's had his fair share of adventures on the seabed. You can see pictures, videos and stories from his adventures here.