New Jersey Scuba Diving

Type:

artificial reef, tanker

Specs:

( 174 x 33 ft ) 1390 displacement tons (full)

Sponsor:

Friends of John Dobilas & the McGraw Hill Foundation

Sunk:

Tuesday August 20, 1996 - Garden State North Artificial Reef

GPS:

39°37.564' -74°01.341'

Depth:

80 ft

on starboard side, reef also includes 5 tanks

I have no idea what this ship's real identification is. The bow appears to say US NAVY YW-???. Maybe. Somewhere in the engine room there is probably a brass builder's plaque with all the answers. That would make a nice souvenir for whoever finds it and pries it off. Let me know.

"John Dobilas" is a twin to the "Mako Mania " and the "Captain Bart". The job of these little tankers was to store and distribute fuel in port, not carry it long distances. The Navy classified them as self-propelled barges. They could get around in protected waters without assistance, and could even deploy overseas, although slowly crossing the open ocean in one of these must have been a little scary. Fully loaded, they have practically no freeboard. They were not equipped for navigation, and crew facilities were rudimentary.

The "yard tanker" role has largely been taken over by tugs and barges. However, these hulls are renowned for their toughness and longevity, much like the AKL freighters. These small vessels lasted decades after their bigger brothers went to the breakers, and many of them are still in use today. One of the 156-foot YO-153 class is the star of "The Deadliest Catch:"

With raised sides and a completely new superstructure, she bears little resemblance to her former self. What you can't see is that she is re-engined with a much more powerful turbo-diesel, turning a more efficient modern propeller, and she also has a bow thruster installed. All this makes her much more seaworthy, able to cope even with Alaskan weather. The engine room is greatly enlarged for extra generators and hydraulics, to drive the cranes and refrigeration plant.