New Jersey Scuba Diving

The Charter Boat Association, with proceeds from its annual Mako Mania shark tournament, has a reef-building fund set up specifically for these purposes. An agreement was consummated to finance the project while memorializing the deployment in Capt. Polcari's memory, thus starting the long process of transporting the vessel to its final resting place on the Axel Carlson Reef.

The first phase of the project was getting the boat towed from Shinnecock to Clean Water of N.Y., a salvage/cleaning yard, located in Staten Island. Upon arrival the drive train was removed, tanks and compartments drained, pollutants disposed of, followed by a thorough cleaning. Any item that could float or drift away or was hazardous in any way, shape or form had to be removed. The DEP has very strict policies about debris not left floating or washing up on our beaches.

Next, large torched cutouts were made through the decks and between compartments to allow fish, sea life, and divers access while aiding in the sinking process. Getting a vessel to land on the ocean floor in an upright position is always a challenge. Two heavy-duty valves were installed below the waterline to facilitate flooding of the hull during deployment. At this point, I was able to board the vessel to letter "Angelo's Reef" on the deckhouse. The Coast Guard was then summoned to do its mandatory, final inspection. Towing, clean-up, and yard work took several months.

Weather delays then set the project back another few months. But, on the afternoon of Nov. 3, a tugboat bridled the Hail Mary at the salvage yard and set out on her final voyage. The tow carefully navigated out to Newark Bay, through the Kill Van Kull, to New York Bay south, into Raritan Bay, and then easterly. Around midnight the tug and tow arrived at a prearranged rendezvous in the vicinity of Sandy Hook Channel. There the Hail Mary's hawser was transferred to a TowBoat/US vessel. Apparently, the powerful (and expensive) tug would no longer be necessary in the open ocean. In a light northwest breeze, by 8 a.m. the following morning the Hail Mary was being maneuvered between two buoys N.J. Fish & Wildlife personnel had set on the Axel Carlson Reef.

Carberry was onboard a state research vessel directing the deployment. In addition to the state craft, the Coast Guard and numerous private boats were on hand to view the event. Carberry's men boarded the Hail Mary, opened the through-hull valves then exited for the final time. We all watched as the hull slowly settled inch by inch into the ocean. The scuppers filled and decks became awash. The bow dipped as the forward living quarters were displaced with murky seawater. Then rolling half over on its starboard side, the wreck exposed its aft underside. Just as we thought the bow might go under first, the transom began to gently disappear.

The end was nearing as escaping air, sounding like a huge teapot blowing off steam, sent a fine mist across the ocean's surface. The stern gained sinking momentum as the structure rotated while the bow raised like the hands on a clock, pointing skyward. The hull was now suspended in a vertical position. The water's surface erupted violently surrounding the protruding nose as it slowly sunk downward. Boat horns wailed in a gesture of wakeful respect as the vessel disappeared. It took 58 minutes. Only a slight slick and millions of bubbles remained.

Posted by the Asbury Park Press 11/24/06
BY CAPT. PETE GRIMBILAS