New Jersey Artificial Reefs

Sandy Hook    Sea Girt      Shark River   Manasquan     Axel Carlson  Barnegat Light Garden State N Garden State S Little Egg    Atlantic City Great Egg     Ocean City    Townsend      Deepwater     Delaware Bay  Wildwood      Cape May      Delaware #09  Delaware #10  Delaware #11  DelJerseyLand

The chart above shows all the New Jersey artificial reef sites, as well as the northern-most Delaware sites. Also shown are the shipping lanes, since it is vitally important that artificial reefs not impede shipping traffic. Finally, the inlets that provide access to the reefs are shown.

New Jersey Artificial Reef Charts

Sinking the ‘Captain Bart’

Tenacious tows the newly-christened "Captain Bart" into position
The State Police demolitions squad goes aboard to set the explosives
But the anchor chain gets stuck ...
... and the new reef drifts in the wind and tide for nearly three hours
Looking up at the pilot house from the tugboat just before jumping over
Diversion II serves as press boat
The sign says: Warning. No Smoking. No Open Lights. No Visitors.
The inside of the bridge. Looks like junk to me, but I'm sure it will all be quickly "salvaged" by wreck hounds
The view forward from the port-side bridge wing
Looking aft from the bow. Tugboat wake swirls in the distance
Explosives all set ... time for everyone to get off !
Tenacious makes one final pass, and ...
Ka-boom !!!
The concussion could be felt even at a distance, as pieces went flying overhead
Fires burn briefly after the explosion
The Budweiser banner didn't make it
At first the ship sinks very slowly ...
... but soon the tilt is unmistakable, as the stern plunges down
The metal hull creaks and groans as the ship sinks
Now the pilot house is completely under
Debris on the deck slides down into the water
The stern hits the bottom at 130 ft ...
... and the ship stands on end for several minutes ...
... digging down into the mud below ...
... before finally settling back down into the water
YOG-58 disappears forever into a boiling mass of bubbles ...
... and becomes the newest addition to the Shark River Artificial Reef

New Jersey Artificial Reef Sites





Choctaw reef
Photo courtesy of McAllister Towing
Type:
artificial reef, tugboat
Name:
An Indian tribe of south and central Mississippi, later forcibly moved to the Oklahoma territory.
Built:
1966, Brooklyn NY USA (Bushey Yard)
Specs:
( 90 x 24 ft ) 84 gross tons
Sponsor:
Spentonbush Red Star Company, Beach Haven Marlin & Tuna Club, Fish America, Atlantic County Reef Society
Sunk:
Tuesday April 7, 1991 - Garden State North Artificial Reef
GPS:
39°37.894' -74°01.284'
Depth:
75 ft

Smoke II 'Ed Bogaert'
Type:
artificial reef, fire boat
Built:
1958, New Orleans LA USA
Specs:
( 52 ft, 34 tons )
Sponsor:
FDNY, Ann E Clark Foundation
Dedication:
Ed Bogaert
Sunk:
Friday August 8, 2008 - Sea Girt Artificial Reef
GPS:
40°07.829' -73°56.379'


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