Delaware Artificial Reefs (1/3)

Delaware Artificial Reefs

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Brightliners Subway Cars reef
Type:
~100 "Brightliner" subway cars - NYC Subway system
Built:
1963-1964 - Budd Company - Model R32 # 3350-3949
1966-1967 - St. Louis Car - Model R38 # 3950-4149
1967-1969 - St. Louis Car - Model R40 # 4150-4349
1969-1970 - St. Louis Car - Model R42 # 4550-4949
Specs:
( 60 x 10 ft ) 10 tons ( all, typical, body only )
Sunk:
44 cars were sunk on Atlantic City Reef on April 3, 2008
more in Cape May reef and Delaware reefs
Sponsor:
New York City Metropolitan Transportation Authority ( MTA )
GPS:
too many to list, and all gone anyway
Depth:
Depths vary by location




Matt Turecamo reef
I can find no pictures of Delilah, but here is a great-looking twin sister, DPC-14 Matt Turecamo, with fake wood-grain paint
Type:
artificial reef, tugboat
Specs:
( 86 ft )
Built:
1943, Decatur AL as DPC-65
Sunk:
Friday Jan 15, 1999 - Delaware #11 Artificial Reef
GPS:
38°40.540' -74°43.957'
Depth:
75 ft



Delaware Artificial Reefs

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There are on the market today portable underwater direction-finding units that home in on each other by sound. These provide similar functionality to a strobe light, but with ( theoretically ) longer range, and are ( theoretically ) unaffected by water conditions and visibility. They are also very expensive, and prone to failure when a large object or wall gets between the two units. A number of times I have seen people get lost because they counted on one of these gadgets, and it didn't work.

Perhaps the most disturbing thing about these devices is that their users seem to be mostly beginners who place unfounded faith in them, probably because they paid so much for it at the dive shop. They seem to hit the water in "brain-off" mode, counting on their expensive gadgets to get them home, and making little or no effort at other forms of navigation. Unfortunately, these people are probably the least able to cope with the emergency situation that arises when they find out just how reliable their little sonar toy isn't. Learn to use a wreck reel instead.

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