Cape May Artificial Reef

Cape May Artificial Reef

8.5 Nautical Miles off Cape May, 5.34 sq miles
Depth: 50-75 ft [download]

Cape May reef also contains large numbers of tire units and Army tanks (not shown) concentrated in the center area that appears here to be empty. This reef also received 50 redbird subways cars, which are not plotted. The Onondaga drifted slightly out of the reef boundaries, and the state does not list it, but it is there.






M60 tanks reef
M60 tanks undergo a thorough cleaning before use as reefs

The Artificial Reef Program used four types of obsolete Army armored vehicles as artificial reef materials off the New Jersey coast. These were cleaned at local military bases, loaded onto barges for transport, and pushed off at their final destination. Once the Army had disposed of its excess inventory, the program ceased, around 1999. The Artificial Reef Program has sunk almost 400 tanks altogether, far too many to list them here in this website.


Peggy Diana reef
Peggy Diana is the landing craft, not the tugboat.
Type:
artificial reef, LCM-6 (Landing Craft-Mechanized, see "Captain Henry")
Specs:
( 56 x 14 ft ) 64 tons
Sponsor:
Army Transportation Corps
Sunk:
Saturday November 14, 1987 - Cape May Artificial Reef
GPS:
38°50.830' -74°42.510'

The Mullica River

Chapter 4

Hidden History of Maritime New Jersey

The Mullica River Shipwrecks and the Revolutionary War

reprinted from
Hidden History of Maritime New Jersey
Steve Nagiewicz

New Jersey has commonly been known as the "Crossroads of the American Revolution." So many of the major Revolutionary War battles were fought here at places that jump off the pages of our history textbooks, like the Battles of Monmouth, Princeton, and Trenton and, of course, the iconic Delaware Crossing on Christmas Day by General George Washington in 1776. Washington and his main army, it seems, had spent more time in New Jersey than any other place. Of course, New Jersey's geographic position between New York and Philadelphia was a large part of that "Crossroads" title. Not surprisingly, the ocean provided another type of crossroad - one that was faster, more direct, and with the ability to send large amounts of supplies and troops by sea and along our coastline.