Background Information (excerpt from Gilchrist 2019)     

The Higgins Speed Boat is located on the southeastern side of Welsh Island, facing the “Broads.”  It rests in 40 feet (12.2 meters) of water, making it the deepest shipwreck surveyed for this project. The cause of this boat sinking is unclear, as no visible damage is seen in the preliminary data. Figure 13 shows a side scan image of the vessel by Hans Hug Jr. 

            Visibility on the shipwreck was approximately 25 feet (7.62 meters), making it the shipwreck with the best visibility in this project.  Due to the shipwreck’s location next to the “Broads,” the surface conditions at the shipwreck site vary drastically daily.  The bottom at this location has a solid surface (non-silt), leaving the entire shipwreck unburied.  The brand of the boat is apparent from the “Higgins” insignia on top of the gunnels (Figure 14).  The Higgins Boat Company produced similar speed boats to this one during the late 1950s, meaning that this boat must have sunk sometime after the 1950s.  

            The 2018 survey of the Higgins Speed Boat showed that significant changes occurred to the shipwreck.  The most noticeable damage to the shipwreck is shown in the figures above.  These damages included the windshield collapsing, the engine cover being torn off and the seat material being torn (Figure 15; 16).  All these damages are indicative of an anchor or down rigger strike.  An anchor dragging over the shipwreck is probably the cause of the damage because the area in question is not ideal for downrigger fishing (it has a sandy bottom and is not on a slope).  The area is also not a normal location that a recreational boater would anchor since it is facing the widest part of the lake and therefore one of the choppiest parts of the lake.  For these reasons it can be assumed that this anchor strike was caused by recreational scuba divers not properly anchoring their boat over the shipwreck. 

Diving Information

GPS: N 43 35.984 W 71 21.237

Depth: 40 feet (12.2 meters)

Anchoring: The bottom around the shipwreck is flat and sandy. Drop a marker buoy on the GPS coordinates then deploy anchor at least 25 feet away to avoid damaging the shipwreck. Descend via the marker buoy.

Special Considerations: Please be careful anchoring this shipwreck has been struck with either a down rigger or an anchor recently which caused significant damage.