|
 |
|
|
| Missing In Action (MIA) | Prisoners Of War (POW) | Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) |
| Chronology | Locations | Aircraft | Ships | Submit Info | How You Can Help | Donate |
|
| USN FP-Type / FS-Type 573 Tons 180' x 33' x 10' Crew: 24 6 officers 6 gun crew 12 crew  M. Mcfadyen c2000 |
Ship History Built by Higgins Industries Shipyard in New Orleans, Louisiana. Laid down as Freight and Cargo (FP-Type). Launched as FP-172. Commissioned Commissioned May 19, 1944 in the U.S. Navy (USN). Later, redesignated as Freight and Supply Type (FS-172). Wartime History Operated in the South-West Pacific Area (SWPA) manned by a crew from the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) plus some Australian crew members. Postwar FS-172 was used to transport surplus American supplies and records from Sydney to Guam and Manila. It is possible that the ship was carrying all the records for the small ships operations in the South Pacific. Sinking History During July 1946, while steaming along the north coast of New Guinea to the north of Madang the captain miscalculated the tides during the early morning and hit rocks near Bonu village and drifted into the coral cleavers near Cape Croisilles and sank in 60-120' of water. Rescue The small crew was rescued by Catholic Bishop John E. Cohill. They were later transported to Madang Airfield and flown out aboard a B-25 Mitchell. Shipwreck During the late 1960s Volker Leidner salvaged the propeller from the ship, but was unable to recover it fully, only moving it closer to shore. The ship's spare prop was salvaged in 1970 by salvager Fritz Herscheid, including a bell that confirmed the ship's identity to be FS-172. Also, he salvaged copper piping and a spare propeller from the ship. Later, the ship's propellers were removed by Kevin Baldwin and Dave Barnet. Today, the shipwreck is about 50km north of the Jais Aben Resort. There is now a large amount of coral and fish around the wreck. The wreck is still intact, has winches and cables on the deck, office items in the one hold and large object (refrigerators or freezers) in another. Much sea life is reported around the wreck. References This shipwreck is often incorrectly identified as the "USS Boston" or "SS Boston". Others incorrectly stated the wreck was a minesweeper that sunk after the war during a storm. New Guinea Salvage Pirate (2006) pages 108-113 Michael Mcfadyen - FS-172 - formerly thought to be USS Boston Army FP/FS Vessels Contribute
Information Last Updated
|
 60-120' |
| Discussion Forum | Daily Updates | Reviews | Museums | Interviews & Oral Histories |
|
