New Jersey Scuba Diving

Astra

Shipwreck Astra

Type:: shipwreck, freighter, Denmark
Name:: Astra is Latin for star.
Built:: 1945, Denmark, as Gudnaes
Specs:: ( 333 x 51 ft ) 2709 gross tons, 105 passengers & crew
Sunk:: Friday March 30, 1951
collision with freighter Steel Inventor ( 5689 tons) - 5 casualties
Depth:: 85 ft

Today the Astra sits in 85 ft of water on a sandy bottom. Her stern is intact and lists to port. The rest of the ship sits upright, her midsection collapsed. She can be easily penetrated and is a great photography wreck. The stern has the greatest relief, coming 25 ft or so off the sand. Parts of automobiles are spread around the wreckage.

Shipwreck Astra — Side-scan courtesy of Stockton University

Shipwreck Astra New York Times — shipwreck Astra Coast Guard Report

Steel Inventor — Steel Inventor - scrapped in Japan 1954

Cape May Dive Sites, Dive Sites, Freighters, New Jersey Dive Sites,

Cape May Dive Sites Chart

Cape May Chart

More: Cape May Dive Sites Chart ...

Comments on Astra

Questions or Inquiries?

Just want to say Hello? Sign the .

Submit a Comment Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

D-Rings & Fasteners

brass snap

d-ring

Diving in the North Atlantic requires a lot more accessory gear than diving in the tropics. This can include knife, spare knife, light, spare light, marker light, flag & line, slate, dive tables, goody bag, spear, spear gun, tickle stick, reel, lobster gauge, lift bags, camera and lights, hammer, and a whole lot more if you are into heavy-duty wrecking, although hopefully not all of it at the same time.

Except for the new pseudo-technical BCs, most BCs just don't have enough D-rings. One solution is to add a few stainless steel D-rings to your weight belt or harness. You can get these ready-made from your dive shop for a few dollars. The best kind are those that are welded onto a slide-buckle so that they stand out rigidly away from your body. D-rings that are not fixed like this will inevitably fold under, making them impossible to use ( or even find ) with thick gloves on. Remember, once you are in the water with your mask on, most of yourself will be out of sight, and you will have to work everything by touch.

More: D-Rings & Fasteners ...