Sandy Hook Artificial Reef

1.6 nautical miles off Sea Bright Depth: 40-60 ft
unknown1      unknown2      AWOIS 4600    Coleman       Dorothy       VL Keegan     Vinik Huntress Macedonia     Pocono

Sandy Hook Artificial Reef

The pink area on the chart is the "Full Access Zone". This is the area where commercial fishermen will continue to be allowed to set their traps and lines as of 2015.

Sandy Hook Artificial Reef

The Sandy Hook reef has only a few small vessels sunk on it, although it does encompass several interesting shipwrecks. Instead, the northernmost of New Jersey's Artificial Reefs is composed of thousands of tons of construction debris and dredge spoils from New York City - far too much of it to plot! Minimum clearance at mean low water is 30 feet.

Concrete rubble is concentrated in the north, along with a sunken barge. The southern part of the reef is mostly dumped dredge rock, sort of an extension to the Shrewsbury Rocks. There is so much rock and rubble in the Sandy Hook Reef that I could not even begin to put it all on the chart - the bottom is practically paved.

Lockwood reef
Lockwood reef
Lockwood reef
Lockwood sailboat - photos courtesy William J Lockwood

Lockwood Boat Works

Not shown on the chart is the Lockwood, a 40' sailboat sunk circa 1991 in the southern part of the reef. The unfinished ferro-cement hull was donated and named after the Lockwood Marina and Boat Works in South Amboy. The Lockwood has probably broken up and sunk into the sand, as recent efforts to locate it have not been successful. It may also have been crushed under a rock drop.

Visibility is usually poor on the way down but can get better near the bottom, where it is dark and cold. See the Macedonia for a more detailed description of diving conditions here. The Sandy Hook Reef is one of the oldest artificial reef sites in New Jersey. Reef-building activities at this site date back to 1937.

click image for full-size

This is a shot of some bathymetric imaging released by NOAA. At left are the Highlands and twin lights. North from there is Sandy Hook, with two World War II gun batteries clearly visible. Offshore of Sandy Hook appears to be a big borrow pit for beach replenishment. South of that are the Shrewsbury rocks. In the center is the Sandy Hook Reef. The outline of the reef is perfectly clear - it is paved with dredge rock. At the lower right is a similar feature - another rock ridge that is clearly man-made. This is in the vicinity of the Mud Dump, it is dredged material from New York Harbor. They probably had the dump zone marked by buoys in the age before GPS - that is why it is so precise.

dump sites


Shipwreck Pocono
Side-scan sonar image, with the shadow of the rudder plainly evident at the lower-right ( north end of the wreck. )
Type:
shipwreck, schooner barge
Built:
1905, Newburgh NY (TS Marvel)
Specs:
( 156 ft ) 698 tons
Sunk:
Monday March 31, 1924
foundered in storm
Depth:
60 ft

Shipwreck Macedonia
I found this old painting labeled "Macedonia" and "1894". This certainly could be the same ship. Another Macedonia enters the records in 1900, just a year after this one was lost.
Type:
shipwreck, steamer, Germany
( at time of loss chartered to Ward Lines, see Mohawk )
Name:
Macedonia is a region in the southern Balkans, adjoining Greece, and formerly part of Yugoslavia.
Built:
1894, England
Specs:
( 280 x 41 ft ) 2268 gross tons, 19 passengers & crew
Sunk:
Tuesday June 13, 1899
collision with liner Hamilton ( 3127 tons) - 1 casualty
GPS:
40°21.418' -73°56.153' (AWOIS 1991)
Depth:
60 ft


rock reef
A hopper barge full of rock

All manner of concrete, steel, and stone rubble from dredging, demolition projects, and other construction is used as artificial reef materials. This material is generally available at very low cost or free from construction companies who are more than happy to get rid of it. Transportation costs determine where this material is used by the Reef Program.


H10284/88 -- OPR-C147-WH-88; AN OBSTRUCTION WAS FOUND WITH AN ESTIMATED DEPTH OF 33 FT; OBSTRUCTION IS 269M SW OF CHARTED POSITION OF THIS ITEM AND 81M SW OF POSITION OF ITEM 1571; EVALUATOR BELIEVES THAT THIS CONTACT IS THIS ITEM OR ITEM 4600; THERE ARE OTHER OBSTRUCTIONS IN THE VICINITY OF THE AWOIS ITEM THAT WERE LOCATED BY THE PRESENT SURVEY, BUT THIS IS THE MOST SIGNIFICANT AND HAS AN ESTIMATED HEIGHT THAT IS CLOSE TO THE CHARTED INFORMATION. (UPDATED MSD 6/91)

FE330SS/89 -- OPR-C147-HE-89; CONTACT #22 FROM SURVEY H-10284/88; DIVERS INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE REMAINS OF A LARGE WOODEN WRECK WHICH IS BADLY BROKEN UP, DETERIORATED, AND STREWN ABOUT THE BOTTOM; SEVERAL LARGE TIMBERS RISE AT ANGLES ABOVE THE GENERAL TREND OF THE WRECK; TIMBERS ARE MOST LIKELY THE RIBS FROM THE WRECK; LEADLINE LEAST DEPTH WAS TAKEN BY DIVERS ON THE AFTERMOST VERTICAL TIMBER; DUE TO THE DETERIORATED CONDITION OF WRECK, POSITIVE IDENTIFICATION IS NOT POSSIBLE; HOWEVER, DIVERS REPORTED THAT THE WRECKAGE WAS MORE LIKELY A BARGE THAN A WAR VESSEL (AWOIS ITEM 1571) (UPDATED MSD 6/91)


YP-389
Sister YP-389, built in the same yard at the same time to the same specs
Type:
shipwreck, patrol boat, U.S. Navy, converted trawler
Built:
1941, Quincy MA, USA, as Salem
Specs:
( 102 x 22 ft ) 301 tons, 21 crew
Sunk:
Wednesday May 20, 1942
collision with collier Jason - 6 casualties
Depth:
40 ft

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