Ranger

Ranger
Type:
shipwreck, steamer
Depth:
85 ft
compass

The "Ranger" is the wreck of a small nineteenth-century steamer. The entire small wreck is perhaps 100 ft in length, from the low remains of the copper-sheathed wooden bow to the broken propeller. The boiler and engine are remarkably large for such a small wreck, but the absence of towing bits, or indeed any kind of heavy machinery, makes it unlikely that this was a tugboat. An enormous low-pressure boiler feeding a rather primitive single-expansion engine places the building of the Ranger in the same period as the very similar Brunette, 1850-1870.

Shipwreck Ranger
The stem of the bow remains, with some copper sheathing.
Shipwreck Ranger
The boiler dominates the wreck
Shipwreck Ranger
The crooked single-cylinder engine is an almost art-deco design
Shipwreck Ranger
Shipwreck Ranger
A diver hunts near the shaft just behind the engine
Shipwreck Ranger
A large iron box off to the side, probably a steam condenser
Shipwreck Ranger
The propeller, half-buried, with the upper blade broken off

This is a very picturesque wreck and makes a nice photo subject on a good day ( it is also known as the "Photographer". ) the engine is a very interesting piece, and is covered with anemones and other sea life. This wreck also produces fine mussels from the higher parts. There is usually a lobster around somewhere as well.

Drawing courtesy of Aaron Hirsh


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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.