Cape May Artificial Reef (1/3) ~ New Jersey Scuba Diving

Cape May Artificial Reef (1/3)

Cape May Artificial Reef

8.5 Nautical Miles off Cape May
Depth: 50-75 ft [download]

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Army Tanks

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.

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Becky Lee

Type:: artificial reef, clam dredge, USA
Built:: 1968, Covacevich Shipyard, Biloxi MS, as Big Bill
Specs:: ( 85 x 23 ft )
Sponsor:: Cape May County Party & Charter Boat Association
Sunk:: Thursday July 25, 1991 - Cape May Artificial Reef
GPS:: 38°53.110' -74°01.030'
Depth:: 60 ft

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caisson

Type:: artificial reef, drydock gate
Specs:: ( 140' x 40' )
Sunk:: Thursday September 26, 2019 - Cape May Artificial Reef
Depth:: 75 ft
GPS:: 38°50.699' -74°43.023'

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Cape Straight WPB-95308

Type:: artificial reef, cutter, US Coast Guard
Built:: 1953, US Coast Guard Yard, Baltimore MD USA
Specs:: ( 95 x 20 ft )
Sponsor:: USCG, New Jersey State Police
Sunk:: Thursday September 9, 1993 - Cape May Artificial Reef
GPS:: 38°51.060' -74°42.125'
Depth:: 65 ft

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Captain Henry LCM-6

Captain Henry reef — "Captain Henry" - the bow ramp appears to have been welded up

Type:: artificial reef, LCM-6 (Landing Craft-Mechanized) used as buoy tender
Built:: 1943 New Orleans LA USA
Specs:: ( 56 x 14 ft ) 64 tons
Sponsor:: Bureau of Coastal Engineering, Fish America &
Cape May County Party & Charter Boat Association
Sunk:: Sunday May 6, 1990 - Cape May Artificial Reef
GPS:: 38°51.200' -74°42.280'

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Cecilia J Brown DPC-42

Type:: artificial reef, tugboat, USA
Built:: 1944, Decatur Iron & Steel, Decatur AL USA
Specs:: ( 86 x 24 ft )
Sponsor:: Cape May County Party & Charter Boat Association, Artificial Reef Association, Sportfish Fund
Sunk:: Monday August 16, 1993 - Cape May Artificial Reef
GPS:: 38°52.950' -74°40.200'
Depth:: 60 ft

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concrete

Type:: 4700 concrete slabs ( must be quite a pile )
Sponsor:: Delaware River Port Authority
Sunk:: 1988 - Cape May Artificial Reef

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Elizabeth "Hooters"

Hooters reef — An undignified end for the sole remaining CRRNJ ferry *Elizabeth*

Type:: artificial reef, ferry, Central Railroad of New Jersey, USA
Name:: All CRRNJ ferries were named for New Jersey towns - Lakewood, Bound Brook, Red Bank, Plainfield, Elizabeth, Wilkes Barre, Cranford, Somerville, Westfield, and Bound Brook
Built:: 1901, Harlan & Hollingsworth Wilmington DE USA, as Lakewood
Specs:: ( 200 x 44 ft ) 1016 gross tons
Sponsor:: NJ Coast 2005 Initiative
Sunk:: Wednesday August 3, 2005 - Cape May Artificial Reef
GPS:: 38°50.682' -74°43.078'
Depth:: 75 ft

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Georgia

Type:: sport boat
Specs:: ( 35 ft )
Sponsor:: Elmer Dowd; Sportfish Fund
Sunk:: Saturday Oct 23, 1993 - Cape May Artificial Reef
GPS:: 38°51.700' -74°42.900'
Depth:: 70 ft

Another mystery

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Georgia Moran

Type:: artificial reef, tugboat, USA
Built:: 1949, Levingston Shipbuilding, Orange TX as Barbara Moran
Specs:: ( 100 x 27 ft ) 238 tons
Sponsor:: Ann E Clark Foundation, South Jersey Fishing Center
Sunk:: Friday March 26, 2004 - Cape May Artificial Reef
GPS:: 38°51.465' -74°42.016'
Depth:: 70 ft

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Cape May Artificial Reef

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Artificial Reefs Economics

Cost of Building Reefs

According to a survey conducted by the Division in 1993 and 1994, an average of $2.2 million is expended annually to construct and manage New Jersey's ocean reefs. The management portion of the project, which includes the salaries of State marine biologists who select reef sites, coordinate construction activities, and conduct biological and harvest surveys, and the costs of operating a research vessel and sampling equipment, amounts to approximately $215,000 each year. Funding for management is composed of $161,000 in federal Sportfish Restoration Funds, which are obtained from excise taxes on recreational fishing tackle, and $54,000 in state funding.

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