New Jersey Scuba Diving

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

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" 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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Shark River Artificial Reef

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Manasquan Dive Sites Chart

More: Manasquan Dive Sites Chart ...

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Mako Mania YW-127

Type:

artificial reef, tanker, US Navy YW-83 class

Built:

1945, Surgeon Bay, WI, USA, as YW-127

Specs:

( 165 x 33 ft )

Sponsor:

GPPCBA, Budweiser

Sunk:

Thursday July 16, 1998 - Sea Girt Artificial Reef

GPS:

40°06.419' -73°41.460'

Depth:

125 ft

More: Mako Mania YW-127 ...

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John Dobilas YOGN-8

Type:

artificial reef, tanker

Specs:

( 165 x 35 ft )

Sponsor:

Friends & the McGraw Hill Foundation

Dedication:

John Dobilas

Sunk:

Tuesday August 20, 1996 - Garden State North Artificial Reef

GPS:

39°37.564' -74°01.341'

Depth:

80 ft

More: John Dobilas YOGN-8 ...