The Alex Gibson shipwreck is the remains of a wooden barge. The barge was built in 1877 was 180 ft long and displaced 2154 tons. She was sunk in the 1930s and now sits in 40 ft of water on a clean sand bottom.
The Alexander Hamilton was the last of the steam-powered side-wheel riverboats of the Hudson River Day Line. Built in 1924, she ceased operations in 1971. A well-meaning group pulled the Hamilton from the mud in 1977 and moved her to a temporary berth along the east side of the Navy pier, planning to restore her as a museum. Unfortunately, at the new more-exposed location, the old vessel was sunk and reduced to scrap by a sudden storm in November of that year. The last records indicate that the wreck is still there, and you can even make out the outline on Google Earth.
For the first time, early this summer 1999, New Jersey's Reef Program will place 600 designed fish habitats on its ocean artificial reefs. These designed reef habitats, called Reef Balls, were developed and patented by a company in Sarasota, FL. Reef Balls are made of concrete and resemble an igloo with lots of holes. The habitats are 4' in diameter, 3' high and weigh about 1,400 pounds. The many holes around the periphery provide access for fish, crabs, and lobsters to the hollow interior of the undersea homes.