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ROMANCE
Type: Excursion Steamer
Orginally christened as the Tennessee, the vessel was purchased by the Bay State Steamship Company in 1935 and renamed Romance. The Romance was an excursion steamer that ran the Boston to Provincetown route with notable speed and competitiveness.
After only one year in service, the Romance collided in fog with the New York while en route to Boston. Inexperience on the part of the crew was one factor in the collision as well as the captain's decision to turn away from the oncoming vessel instead of towards it. The two vessels collided and the fast moving New York nearly sheared the Romance in two. The 208 passengers onboard were evacuated to the New York, which did not back away from the ship but instead lowered ladders down to rescue the passengers and crew. While women and children were requested first, much of the Romance's crew chose to save themselves first. No one was lost, however, and injuries were minimal, which is in part a testament to the Captain's decision to keep the vessels locked together, thereby slowing the flooding.
As the Romance sank, the deckhouse tore away. She was clam-shelled to remove any obstruction to navigation as she lies in a channel. Today, the wreck is located off Nahant in a debris field with a partially intact bow and boiler. The visibility tends to be poor in the summertime, maybe 5-10 feet at best. Strong currents can plague the area as well as shipping traffic. However, in the winter the visibility can exceed 40-50 feet. The Romance produces many artifacts even today as she is infrequently visited. This wreck is an excellent dive for advanced recreational divers and novice technical divers who wish to learn techniques running guidelines in limited visibility.
Photos:
Boston Globe front page from September, 1936
The wreckage of the Romance awash after her sinking. Photo: Shipwrecks Around Boston by William P Quinn
Romance sonar image (photo from Klein Associates)
The wreckage coming into view on descent (left) and at right, the remnants of a mast.
A shiny piece of pipe (left) and hull plates laying flat in the sand (right).
Hull plates with a porthole opening (left) and debris (right). There's a fair amount of line in certain areas on the wreck.
A vent (left) and at right part of the boiler and engine machinery.
A large boiler (left) and at right, engine machinery.
More wreckage and twisted structure (left) and part of a water tank (right).
Another view of a water tank (left) and at right, looking between two water tanks.
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