Seiners ~ New Jersey Scuba Diving

Seiners

A small commercial fishing vessel of unknown type, although the bushels on deck would imply that she was after some kind of shellfish.

There are three basic types of commercial fishing vessels found in the Mid-Atlantic region: trawlers, seiners/gill-netters, and long-liners. A trawler or "dragger" operates by towing its fishing gear across the bottom. Weighted nets take bottom fishes, while cage-like steel dredges take clams and scallops. A seiner uses a floating net to encircle schools of surface-swimming fishes such as herring and tuna. A long-liner sets out miles of buoyed line with baited hooks to catch sharks, tuna, and swordfish. One could also add lobster boats and charter fishing or "head" boats to this list. And of course, dive boats.

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Atlantic Mist

Type:: artificial reef, purse seiner, formerly Navy patrol craft
Built:: 1943, Albina Enine & Machine Works, Portland OR USA
Specs:: ( 185 x 33 ft ) 850 tons
Sunk:: Saturday, Jan 16, 2010 - DelJerseyLand Artificial Reef
GPS:: 38°31.063' -74°30.271'
Depth:: 100 ft

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Beach Haven

Type:: artificial reef, purse seiner, clam dredge, USA
Built:: 1949, RTC Shipbuilding Company, Camden NJ USA
Specs:: ( 125 x 21 ft )
Sponsor:: Gifford Marine Company, Fish America Foundation, Artificial Reef Association
Sunk:: Thursday August 6, 1992 - Atlantic City Artificial Reef
GPS:: 39°15.340' -74°14.017'

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Gregory Poole

Type:: artificial reef, minesweeper, US Navy, later converted to purse seiner
Built:: 1944, Tampa FL USA as AM-215 Cruise
Specs:: ( 184 x 33 ft ) 650 tons
Sunk:: Monday, Dec 10, 2007 - DelJerseyLand Artificial Reef
GPS:: 38°30.910' -74°30.597'
Depth:: 120 ft

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John S Dempster Jr. (FS-355)

Type:: artificial reef, freighter, purse seiner
Built:: 1944, JK Welding - Yonkers NY, as FS-355 (US Army)
Specs:: ( 166 x 32 ft ) 542 tons
Sunk:: Thursday, Jan 21, 2021 - DelJerseyLand Artificial Reef
GPS:: 38°31.340' -74°30.671'
Depth:: 125 ft

John S Dempster Jr. is sister to Shearwater and Reedville, see those vessels for details, links in the sidebar. All three vessels were originally small Army transports, converted to Menhaden fishing by Omega Protein company. FS-355 was USCG-manned, and retained by USA as PVT Carl V. Sheridan (see below) until sold in 1972.

The aging Shearwater and Reedville were retired when Omega got two new modern vessels in 2017, but Dempster was kept as a reserve. Finally, almost 80 years old, the Dempster was sent to her reward as well. Another sister, Tangier Island, was reefed off Georgia in 2020. As of 2023, one old sister remains - Smuggler's Point, FS-400, launched in 1944!

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Reedville (FS-278)

Type:: artificial reef, freighter, purse seiner
Built:: 1944, Brooklyn NY USA, as Army FS-278
Specs:: ( 166 x 32 ft ) 542 gross tons
Sunk:: Friday, August 14, 2020 - Delaware #11 Artificial Reef
GPS:: 38°40.423' -74°44.295'
Depth:: 80 ft

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Shearwater (FS-411)

USNS Shearwater reef — *Shearwater*, with *Tamaroa* behind

Type:: artificial reef, freighter, purse seiner
Built:: 1945, Stockton CA USA as FS-411 (US Army)
Specs:: ( 166 x 32 ft ) 542 tons
Sunk:: Dec 11, 2015 - DelJerseyLand Artificial Reef
GPS:: 38°31.661' -74°30.607'
Depth:: 120 ft

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