History and mysteries · Point Pleasant Beach and offshore Ocean County
Lady Gertrude: a broken shaft opened a route for the sea (2016)
Documented history · Source reviewed
A survivor’s observations and a diver’s inspection connected lost propulsion with progressive flooding.
The engine answered; the boat did not
Early on August 15, 2016, Lady Gertrude was preparing to dredge for scallops about 40 nautical miles off Point Pleasant. When the captain advanced the throttle, engine speed increased but the vessel did not accelerate. He discovered that the propeller shaft had broken and seawater was entering through the stern tube.
Pumps and attempts to plug the opening could not control the flooding. The three crewmembers entered a liferaft and were rescued by Maizey James before government rescue assets arrived. No one was injured.
What the wreck added
A diver’s video showed the propeller shifted backward against the rudder. The NTSB attributed the sinking to the shaft fracture and flooding that spread through bulkheads that were not watertight.
The report records shaft repairs in 2015 but says its age could not be established. It does not determine a specific metallurgical origin for the fracture. The prior repair is documented history, not proof that the repair caused the failure.
Sources and research limits
NTSB MAB-17/39, issued November 27, 2017, five-page final brief. The report text was read; the original diver video was not independently viewed.