New Jersey Scuba Diving

Captain Bart YOG-58

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Captain Bart reef
Type:
artificial reef, tanker, US Navy ( YW-83 class / YO-65 class )
Built:
1944, RTC Shipbuilding, Camden NJ USA, as YOG-58
Specs:
( 174 x 33 ft ) 1390 displacement tons (full)
Sponsor:
GPPCBA, Crown Beer Distributors, Budweiser
Dedication:
Captain Bart Rozanski
Sunk:
Friday June 9, 2000 - Sea Girt Artificial Reef
GPS:
40°07.103' -73°41.479'
Depth:
130 ft
compass

The "Captain Bart" came to rest on her port side, much like the Pinta. The minimum depth is about 100 ft. The blast holes in the bottom ( now the side ) are near the top of the wreck and large enough to fit through. There is a sparse debris field off the stern. The washout around the hull goes as deep as 140 feet in spots.

Ironically, as a "yard craft" whose duties were mainly to ferry fuel to and from ships in port, this could well have been the furthest out to sea that the old YOG-58 had ever gone. The YW-83 class appears to be the same as the YO-65 class. The "G" stands for gasoline.

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
Captain Bart reef
A sister ship on duty

"Captain Bart" is a twin to the "Mako Mania" and the "John Dobilas". See construction for more photos of this class of ship.

Artificial Reef Sites, Artificial Reefs, New Jersey Artificial Reef Sites, New Jersey Artificial Reefs, Shark River Artificial Reef, Tankers,

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