What's that rig off Point Pleasant Beach? Divers inspect Susan Rose's watery grave

Dan Radel, Asbury Park Press
Updated ·2 min read
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POINT PLEASANT BEACH - Salvage divers returned to the Susan Rose this week to survey its conditions and to remove any sources of oil that may be the cause of a sheen, according to a state Department of Environmental Protection spokesperson.

The 77-foot steel commercial trawler Susan Rose sunk Nov. 19 following an attempt to tow the boat to a shipyard in Staten Island after it had come aground on the beach two days prior. The boat sunk about 1,000 feet off the beach just south of Manasquan Inlet. It sits in 50 feet of water, said Christian Zimny from Northstar Marine Services of Cape May County.

Zimny said a buoy has been placed over the site to warn mariners to avoid navigating over it.

The company was hired by the vessel owner The Town Dock in Narragansett, Rhode Island, in November to recover the 48-year-old vessel. The fuel was removed from the vessel while the boat was still on the beach, NorthStar's president Phillip Risko told the Asbury Park Press in November.

A rig sits over the site Wednesday, January 3, 2024, where the Susan Rose sank in November off Point Pleasant Beach.
A rig sits over the site Wednesday, January 3, 2024, where the Susan Rose sank in November off Point Pleasant Beach.

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The Susan Rose however took on water and sunk during the attempted tow. Eight crew members on board were safely removed before the Susan Rose slipped below the surface to her present location on the sea floor.

DEP spokesperson Larry Hajna said removal of the wreckage will take place when weather conditions improve, likely in March. Zimny said they haven't made a decision as to how they will remove it.

NorthStar positioned a "jack-up" rig over the Susan Rose on Tuesday. The rig has three legs that anchor to the sea floor and allow the rig to lift out of the water to create a stable work platform for divers. Zimny expected they should be done with their survey work by Wednesday.

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Hajna said the United States Coast Guard is the lead agency on the vessel recovery. The USCG's Mid-Atlantic sector did not return a call.

Kat Smith, a spokesperson for The Town Dock, said the vessel has been deemed a total loss and its fate now rests in the hands of the state agencies involved and the insurance company.

Witnesses told the Asbury Park Press on Nov. 17, the day the vessel ran aground, that the Susan Rose was approaching the Manasquan Inlet but instead it came ashore at the north end of Point Pleasant Beach at about 5 a.m.

The vessel's four-passenger crew were rescued by Point Pleasant Beach's emergency dive team and fire department.

Capt. Jim Lovgren, from the Point Pleasant Beach Seafood Co-op, told the Press at the time of the incident that the Susan Rose was here in New Jersey fishing for sea bass and fluke.

A rig sits over the site Wednesday, January 3, 2024, where the Susan Rose sank in November off Point Pleasant Beach.
A rig sits over the site Wednesday, January 3, 2024, where the Susan Rose sank in November off Point Pleasant Beach.

When Jersey Shore native Dan Radel is not reporting the news, you can find him in a college classroom where he is a history professor. Reach him @danielradelapp; 732-643-4072; dradel@gannettnj.com.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Susan Rose salvage off Point Pleasant Beach starts with divers on rig