This anonymous big rectangular wooden dry-dock barge lies off Asbury Park, out near the edge of the Mud Hole. It is similar to the better-known Immaculata. The hulk of the wreck rises up as much as 10 feet, partially intact, while the upper sides have collapsed into the silty sand. Holes in the main wreckage allow penetration into the dark interior, which is surprisingly barren. A debris field of large rectangular ballast stones, wooden ribs, and rusted machinery extend from the western edge of the wreck, and to a lesser extent all around it. In exceptional late October fifty-foot visibility the view of this wreck from above was impressive, but overall this is not a very pretty site, and it is seldom dived. Good for lobsters, Sea Bass, scallops, and decompression.
This is erroneously called a tug, but its shape and size indicate that she was once might have been a small oiler or tanker. The wreck lies upright in the muddy bottom at 120 feet. She comes up 15 feet off the bottom in many places and is mostly intact. I have little idea of age, but her conditions suggest she's been there for 30-40 years or more.
artificial reef, Andromeda class attack transport (
freighter ), U.S. Navy, also known as a "Victory Ship", although often incorrectly referred to as a Liberty Ship
Name:
One of a series of Navy transports named for stars; Algol is a star in the constellation Perseus, also known as the Demon star.
Built:
1943; Oakland CA USA, as James Barnes
Specs:
( 459 x 63 ft ) 13910 displacement tons, 429 crew *
* this figure almost certainly includes embarked Marines
