H10224/86-88 -- OPR-C121-WH-86-88; DEVELOPMENT 240; PREVIOUSLY UNCHARTED WRECK INVESTIGATED WITH 50M RANGE SIDE-SCAN SONAR AND DIVER; DIVERS FOUND A BADLY DETERIORATED WOODEN 140 X 40 FT BARGE, SITTING UPRIGHT ON A SAND BOTTOM; ALTHOUGH THE SOUTHEAST END OF WRECK IS MORE INTACT, THE LEAST DEPTH WAS LOCATED ON THE NORTHWEST END; 49 FT PNEUMATIC DEPTH GAUGE LEAST DEPTH TAKEN ON THE TOP OF A WOODEN SUPPORT RIB. (ENTERED MSD 4/91)
NM22/46 -- DERRICK BARGE WRECK LIGHTED BUOY 3, BLACK, QK FL GREEN, ESTABLISHED IN 62 FT., 1.75 MILES, 63 DEG. FROM SCOTLAND LIGHT VESSEL. BUOY LOCATED 200 FEET EAST OF SUNKEN WRECK WHICH LIES IN A SE-NW DIRECTION.
H10224/86 -- OPR-C121-WH-86; MAIN SCHEME HYDROGRAPHY AND SIDE-SCAN SONAR INVESTIGATION REVEALED WHAT APPEARED TO BE A WRECK IN FOUR PIECES 447M SW OF WRECK; FOUR DIVES WERE PERFORMED IN 1987; FOUND A BARGE, APPROXIMATELY 50 X 120 FT WITH A PNEUMATIC DEPTH GAUGE LEAST DEPTH OF 63 FT; 0-5 FT VISIBILITY; A STRUCTURE SIMILAR TO A DERRICK CRANE WAS FOUND; HYDROGRAPHER AND EVALUATOR RECOMMENDED DELETING CHARTED SYMBOL AND ADDING 63 WK AS SHOWN ON PRESENT SURVEY. (UPDATED MSD 4/91)
Balaena is an old term for whale, derived from Latin. The name was found inscribed on the ship's bell.
Depth:
170 ft
shipwreck, wooden hull full of coal
A wood sailing ship in the Mud Hole at a depth of 170 feet. She was a collier or ore carrier. She is still largely intact, coal in what's left of her holds. Divers tell tales of finding lots of deadeyes, but I haven't seen or heard of one coming from this wreck in many years. Her bell was found to identify her name, but not much else has been discovered about her history. A dive for the very experienced diver. Limited visibility, deep and dark. For those with the technical dive skill, it is a very nice dive.
Looking northeast: Port Monmouth, Belford, the Navy pier, Sandy Hook, and Long Island are visible faintly in the distance.
This bay is muddy and turbid, although some folks dive the several small wrecks around the inside of Sandy Hook. Bottle hunting around the old piers and pilings in Keyport harbor is also a possibility, but most of the structures along the bay shore are too small and shallow to be of interest. I have scouted the shoreline from Atlantic Highlands to Laurence Harbor, and nothing looks too promising. See also entries on Navesink River and Horseshoe Cove.