Dive boat rapidly sinks near 1888 shipwreck, leaving 3 people adrift, Coast Guard says

Three mariners visiting a shipwreck discovered too late that their boat was sinking, leaving them treading water three miles off the New York coast, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

The captain issued a distress around 4:15 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 10, reporting his “boat was taking on water near the SS Iberia shipwreck with three people in the water,” the USCG said in a Nov. 13 news release.

“A Coast Guard ... boat crew arrived on scene and retrieved two divers and the vessel’s master from the water,” the Coast Guard said.

“The vessel master reported that the boat sank rapidly, but he managed to escape through a bow hatch.”

Their identities and details of how long they were adrift were not released. The boat was no long visible when rescuers arrived, USCG photos show.

All three were taken to a marina in the Long Beach area of Long Island, then transferred to a hospital for treatment of undisclosed injuries. None of the three were seriously hurt, officials said.

The remains of the Iberia sit three miles southwest of Long Beach, in 60 feet of water, according to Shipwreckworld.com.

It sank in dense fog, after another ship sheared off 14 feet of its stern on Nov. 10, 1888, NJscuba.net reports.

“Divers can still locate the remains of wood crates that once contained her cargo,” the dive site reports. “No one has ever located the missing stern overhang section.”

This story was originally published November 14, 2024 at 9:30 AM with the headline "Dive boat rapidly sinks near 1888 shipwreck, leaving 3 people adrift, Coast Guard says."