History and mysteries · Cape May and the offshore scallop grounds
Lady Mary: the collision theory tested against the wreck (2009)
Documented history · Source reviewed
Investigators examined damaged metal, vessel tracks and a delayed distress signal after a Cape May scallop boat sank.
Evidence from the seabed
Lady Mary sank about 65 miles southeast of Cape May on March 24, 2009. Six of the seven people aboard died. Investigators considered whether another ship had struck the boat, examining vessel-tracking records, photographs and a recovered rudder.
The NTSB found the rudder’s damage consistent with striking the ocean floor. Inspections of nearby vessels did not establish a collision. Tracking coverage had gaps, however, so the report did not claim every vessel in the area had been identified.
A finding and a remaining question
The board attributed the sinking to water entering an open hatch into the stern compartment during rough weather. Photographs showed a pump hose passing through that hatch. Why the boat had begun drifting hours earlier remained unexplained.
The emergency beacon transmitted a distress signal but lacked position data; an incorrect registration also prevented immediate identification. The report connected the missing position information to delayed dispatch of rescuers from Atlantic City and recommended position-transmitting beacons.
Sources and research limits
NTSB MAB-11/01, adopted May 2, 2011, accident chronology, component examination, vessel-traffic analysis and probable cause. The underlying hearing exhibits were not independently re-examined.