New Jersey Scuba Diving

Steamer or Steamship

Steamer is an early term for any vessel power by a steam engine rather than sails.

Shipwreck Delaware
The Delaware, an 1880s screw steamer

Early steamers were propelled by large paddlewheels. "Side-wheelers", with the paddlewheels on each side, were more seaworthy, and therefore more common in ocean waters, while "stern-wheelers", with a single large paddlewheel at the back, were more common as riverboats. Later, these were replaced by more efficient screw (or propeller) vessels.

Shipwreck Black Warrior
The Black Warrior, an 1850s side-paddlewheel steamer. There are no stern-wheelers in the region that I know of.
Click
This sketch of the Delaware shows the remains that you can expect to find of such a vessel.

Of note is the universal pattern of:

< bow - boilers - engine - drive shaft - propeller - rudder/stern )

and the fact that the boilers are always in front of the engine. Identify any one of these features on the wreck, and you can orient yourself in even the murkiest conditions.

Shipwreck Delaware boiler
Boilers on the Delaware. In the foreground is an intact one. Next to that is a collapsed one; there are four altogether. In the background is the engine.
steam engine
An old postcard of the City of Keansburg, the last of the New York commuter ferries, and one of the last steamships to ply local waters - until 1968.
steam engine
One of the Keansburg's two triple-expansion steam engines, at Allaire State Park.

Admiral DuPont

Shipwreck Admiral Dupont
Type:
shipwreck, steamer, USA
Built:
1847, England, as Anglia
Specs:
( 195 x 28 ft ) 750 gross tons, 50 passengers & crew
Sunk:
Thursday June 8, 1865
collision with ship Stadacona - 17 casualties
Depth:
150 ft

More: Admiral DuPont ...

Alexander Hamilton

Alexander Hamilton

The Alexander Hamilton was the last of the steam-powered side-wheel riverboats of the Hudson River Day Line. Built in 1924, she ceased operations in 1971. A well-meaning group pulled the Hamilton from the mud in 1977 and moved her to a temporary berth along the east side of the Navy pier, planning to restore her as a museum. Unfortunately, at the new more-exposed location, the old vessel was sunk and reduced to scrap by a sudden storm in November of that year. The last records indicate that the wreck is still there, and you can even make out the outline on Google Earth.

More: Alexander Hamilton ...

Think You've Got a Record-size Fish?

RULES AND REGULATIONS

  1. Fish must be caught in New Jersey waters.
  2. Saltwater species taken from a boat must have been caught from a boat which left from and returned to a New Jersey port during the same trip.
  3. Fish must have been caught on sporting tackle, hooked and landed by entrant.
  4. New Jersey state records are determined by weight alone. There are no line classes.
  5. Fish must be weighed on a certified scale.
  6. A clear photograph of the fish must be furnished for identification purposes. In the case of freshwater species, a yardstick must be placed next to fish to clearly show length.
  7. Fish should be refrigerated to permit inspection by a biologist in cases of uncertain identification.

Catch a fish that may not be of record size but is of sufficient size and weight to have tested your skill and/or be of "bragging" size? Then enter your catch in the Division of Fish and Wildlife's Skillful Angler Awards Program.

More: Think You've Got a Record-size Fish? ...

Disclaimer:

I make no claim as to the accuracy, validity, or appropriateness of any information found in this website. I will not be responsible for the consequences of any action that is based upon information found here. Scuba diving is an adventure sport, and as always, you alone are responsible for your own safety and well being.

Copyright © 1996-2025 Rich Galiano
unless otherwise noted

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