Reefwander
Reefwander
Full calendar

Destinations at their peak each month

  1. Jan167
  2. Feb183
  3. Mar192
  4. Apr216
  5. May186
  6. Jun272
  7. Jul307
  8. Aug313
  9. Sep296
  10. Oct180
  11. Nov119
  12. Dec145

Americas

Europe, Africa & Middle East

Indo-Pacific

Madang & the North Coast · Papua New Guinea · Wreck

FS-172 Boston

Office items and big refrigerators still sitting in the holds

FS-172 is a US Army freight and supply ship that sank in 1946 on the north coast near Cape Croisilles, just north of The Quarry. The intact hull lies at the foot of a coral drop-off, with deck winches and holds still holding their cargo.

Also known as FS-172, USS Boston, SS Boston, FP-172.

Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of FS-172 Boston: typical dive to 30 m (to 100 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit30 mtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 40 m (130 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

4.8569° S, 145.8082° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.

The dive

The 55 m (180 ft) ship sits intact at the bottom of the drop-off in 30 m. Winches and cables still lie on the deck, one hold is full of office items and another holds large objects that look like refrigerators or freezers.

The wreck

Vessel
FS-172
Type
Freight and supply ship
Length
55 m (180 ft)
Built
1944
Sunk
1946
Cause
Hit rocks after the captain miscalculated the tides, then drifted onto the coral and sank
Lies
Intact at the foot of a coral drop-off in 30 m near Cape Croisilles

FS-172 was commissioned in May 1944 and later redesignated as a freight and supply ship. In July 1946, steaming along the north coast of New Guinea north of Madang, its captain miscalculated the tides in the early morning and the ship hit rocks near Bonu village, drifted onto the coral near Cape Croisilles and sank. It is often wrongly identified as the USS Boston or SS Boston.

Marine life and season

The sources we used don't single out particular species here.

Month-by-month season rating for FS-172 Boston
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
GoodGoodGoodGoodFairFairFairFairFairFairGoodGood

Season follows Madang & the North Coast: Diving runs all year; May to October brings the heaviest rain and run-off that clouds the sites nearest the mainland.

Sources

  1. FS-172 (FP-172) — Pacific Wrecks
  2. Dive Sites — Niugini Dive Adventures
  3. OpenStreetMap — OpenStreetMap

More dive sites in Madang & the North Coast

Wreck

B25 Bomber

Machine guns still in the nose, midships and tail of a 1943 bomber

15–22 mintermediate

Wall

Barracuda Point

Hooded epaulette sharks tucked under ledges on a current-fed wall

5–30 mintermediate

Wreck

Henry Leith

The remains of a truck still lying in the cargo hold

10–20 mbeginner

Channel & pass

Magic Passage

A wall of big-eye trevally closing around divers on the turning tide

to 30 mintermediate

Seamount

Planet Rock

Grey reef sharks on patrol and hammerheads in the deeper water

5–36 mintermediate

Wall

The Quarry

Silvertip sharks on a sheer wall a few metres from shore

to 30 madvanced

Similar dives elsewhere

Wreck

Alma Jane Wreck

Puerto Galera · Philippines

A cargo hull upright at 30 m, lit through its own skylights

to 30 madvanced

Wreck

American Wreck

Labuan & Brunei Wrecks · Brunei

USS Salute: a 56 m minesweeper mined in 1945, broken in two at 22–32 m in Brunei Bay

22–32 m · max 33 madvanced

Wreck

Australian Wreck

Labuan & Brunei Wrecks · Brunei

SS De Klerk: an 85 m Dutch steamer on her port side at 28–34 m in Brunei Bay

28–34 madvanced

Wreck

Base 1

Florida & Russell Islands · Solomon Islands

The cut-off bow of the cruiser USS Minneapolis in a war junkyard

to 26 mintermediate