Billy D

Billy D reef
Type:
artificial reef, tugboat, US Army
Built:
1945 - Orlando CA USA, as ST-842, R.J. Wales
Specs:
( 80 x 23 ft )
Sponsor:
Artificial Reef Association
Sunk:
Sunday July 27, 1997 - Sea Girt Artificial Reef
GPS:
40°06.320' -73°41.855'
Depth:
125 ft

The abandoned Billy D sank twice over the winter in the Shrewsbury River ( spilling a great deal of diesel fuel and other pollutants ) before it was towed out and sunk as the latest and smallest addition to the Shark River artificial reef. Even after cleaning, the decrepit old tug was deemed too contaminated to sink in inshore waters. So it was towed out to the offshore reef, but couldn't manage to stay afloat for the whole trip, and sank just short of the reef site.

Today the top of the wreck is at about 90-100 ft and can be penetrated through any of the side doors ( visible in the picture above. ) The superstructure shows obvious ice damage. The engine room and lower compartments look accessible from here, although I didn't try it.

Sealife is starting to take hold, although there is not yet a thick covering as on the older reef wrecks. I picked up a couple of scallops on the deck, but a complete search around the hull turned up only the usual fishes - Sea Bass and ling especially - but no bugs. There were also quite a few Sea Ravens on the wreck, including a bright yellow one. The wreck is fouled with quite a bit of rope and netting, although nothing dangerous, and also some monofilament. Obviously, the hook-and-line folks know where this wreck is, but the draggers do not!

Billy D reef

Ironically, the Billy D was once used by the artificial reef program to tow other vessels out to their final resting places. Here, she moves the Car Float barge.


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Every fisherman has his favorite fishing area and thinks that it would be the perfect spot for an artificial reef. "Why don't you build a reef here?" they ask.

Obviously, the State could never satisfy every New Jersey angler with his own pet reef. Besides that, there are many constraints that limit both the number and location of ocean reef sites. New Jersey now has a network of 15 reef sites, evenly spaced from Sandy Hook to Cape May. In its original plan, the Reef Program estimated that 14 or 15 sites would be needed to provide access to anglers and divers from every New Jersey inlet.

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