Schooner Barges (1/3)

schooner barge
A beached schooner barge. Compare the hull form with a square barge.

The schooner barge was the final development of the working sailing ship. The design originally evolved in the 1870s on the Great Lakes, where it was found that sailing ships could be more profitably towed from place to place than sailed. No longer subject to the vagaries of the wind, such trips could be made on a scheduled basis, and with reduced labor costs. The idea spread into general use, resulting in the conversion of many sailing ships into barges. Ironically, most of the vessels that were converted to schooner barges were not actually schooners, but square-rigged ships. Square-riggers, with their large and expensive crews of skilled sailors, became uneconomical to operate in the face of ever-improving steam power, while more efficient schooners managed to compete for a few years longer.

 1 2 3  


Shipwreck Anastasia
Sunk off Barnegat Light ( not plotted. )
Type:
shipwreck, barge / schooner barge
Specs:
1313 tons
Sunk:
Thursday January 26, 1933
four casualties
Depth:
75 ft

Shipwreck Arnoff
Type:
shipwreck, schooner barge
Specs:
( 200 ft est.)
Sunk:
late 1800s ?
Depth:
80 ft

Type:
shipwreck, schooner barge
Specs:
( 330 x 40 ft )
Sunk:
March 12, 1932
Depth:
95 ft

Capt. Mick Trzaska of the dive boat CRT II also calls this the "Bomb Wreck", since it once produced a live aircraft-type explosive. A diver had sent it up with a lift bag thinking it was a champagne bottle! How it got there is anyone's guess.



Shipwreck Cecilia M. Dunlap
Parknook, rigged as a bark rather than a barge
Type:
shipwreck, schooner barge ( originally a bark )
Built:
1876 as Parknook
Specs:
( 199 x 32 ft ) 793 tons
Sunk:
Saturday September 12, 1931
foundered
GPS:
40°25.374' -73°52.828' (AWOIS 2013)
Depth:
60 ft

Dykes reef
Type:
artificial reef, schooner barge, USA
( The small smokestack in the pictures is for an electrical generator. )
Built:
1919, Baltimore MD USA
Specs:
( 306 x 35 ft ) 2072 tons, 14 crew
Sponsor:
Modern Transportation Co.
Sunk:
July 1983 - Sea Girt Artificial Reef
GPS:
40°06.964' -73°57.571'
Depth:
65 ft

Type:
shipwreck, schooner barge
Depth:
80 ft

Another schooner barge or sailing ship. Close to shore and very near the Maurice Tracy. It is sometimes a second or third dive because of this. She's in 70 feet of water on a sandy seafloor. Lots of wood walls and some decking, it's been better for spearfishing lately rather than bugs, but that'll depend on when she was last dived. Named after the fishing boat that found the spot.


Type:
shipwreck, schooner barge
Depth:
75 ft

A typical smallish schooner barge wreck of unknown origin. Some anchor chain and decking spread out over a small area, with a few smaller pieces way off the main piece. Named after the fishing boat that found the spot.


Shipwreck Hankins
The "Big Hankins, " to be precise. Typical of most any schooner barge wreck.
Type:
shipwreck, schooner barge(s)
Sunk:
late 1800s
Depth:
80 ft

Schooner Barges

 1 2 3  

Here are a series of excellent articles regarding the buddy system, reproduced from their original sources before they "wink out", as so much good web content does. With regard to the Buddy System that is so entrenched in dive training, these articles are all negative. I feel no need to present counter-balancing positive arguments since you can get that from any dive instructor with any of the major certifying organizations.

When you first get certified, you will have had the buddy system drilled into you. At this point, you still have basically no idea what you are doing, so just do it that way. A lot of what is in the basic open-water certification is silly and even unnecessary, but it won't get you killed.

As a newly-certified diver, you are a danger to yourself and everyone around you. Be glad that any operator will take you out, and don't rock the boat. If they want you to dive with a buddy, dive with a buddy. As crew, I've spent numerous dives paired up with newbies to make sure they have a good time and get back to the boat OK. Shallow-water shore diving can get very tricky, and things can go very wrong, and if you are not experienced, having a buddy can be a lifesaver.

Printed from njscuba.net