Shinnecock Artificial Reef

Shinnecock Artificial Reef (historical)
( 40.80139, -72.47293 )

2.0 Nautical miles south of Shinnecock Inlet, 0.55 sq miles
Depth: 76 - 84 ft

  • Asylum is described as a 60' steel vessel, sunk 2025.
  • "unknown" is described as a 46' steel hull pleasure craft, sunk 1987.

Shinnecock Artificial Reef (now)

Shinnecock Reef was originally very small, but has been expanded greatly. The pink region is the historical area, and the blue region is the new deployment zone, while the full permitted size of the reef is a 1-nm square that encloses the deployment zone.

In the old version of the website, I had the names Marlu and Maroca recorded for this reef. When I got the new photos of most of the reefs, Maroca became apparent - it is spray-painted on the transom of the vessel. Marlu was harder, but I think I have that one figured out as well - New York lists it as a 70' vessel without a name. I also had a second drydock at Fire Island that I think belongs here. New York's reef program was moribund for so long that the records are unclear.

Reef site coordinates differ from NOAA Navigational Charts.

old side-scan sonar image of Shinnecock Reef, click to enlarge

Note the remains of the drydock at lower-left, the square lighthouse at top-center, with Marlu and Mandy Ray to the right. The freckles at the upper-left are Army tanks.






M60 tanks reef
M60 tanks undergo a thorough cleaning before use as reefs

The Artificial Reef Program used four types of obsolete Army armored vehicles as artificial reef materials off the New Jersey coast. These were cleaned at local military bases, loaded onto barges for transport, and pushed off at their final destination. Once the Army had disposed of its excess inventory, the program ceased, around 1999. The Artificial Reef Program has sunk almost 400 tanks altogether, far too many to list them here in this website.


100 ft steel barge ( on a much bigger barge )
Type:
artificial reef, barges
Depth:
79 - 84 ft
Name Description Sunk GPS
60 ft steel
dredge
1987 40°48.063'
-72°28.622
Caddell 157 ft wood
drydock
Wednesday
September 12, 1990
40°48.007'
-72°28.634'
Dump Scow
DS-106
100 ft steel Wednesday
June 20, 2018
40°48.179'
-72°28.461'
Shannon C 60 ft steel Friday
Nov 5, 2021
40°48.118'
-72°28.390'
Henri 130 ft steel 2025 40°47.984'
-72°28.486'

lightship Ambrose LV-78 / WLV-505
The lightship Ambrose LV-78 / WLV-505, now on display at the South Street Seaport, along with the tower that replaced her ( since replaced by another tower, and then a buoy that got run over a few times. I'm not sure if there is anything out there now. )

A lightship is a small vessel with minimal engine power and a stout stable hull, designed to act as an anchored long-term floating lighthouse outside of a harbor. They were generally painted in bright red or orange anti-collision colors. Not that it helped much.