New Jersey Scuba Diving

Type:

shipwreck, side-wheel steamer USA

Built:

1847, Joseph Tomlinson, New York NY USA

Specs:

( 133 x 31 ft ) tons

Sunk:

June 21, 1860
collision with schooner Fanny

Depth:

85 ft

This site was found in the 1970s by a commercial fisherman. The numbers were sold for $25, hence the name. Originally an armed Revenue Cutter like the RC Mohawk, the Walker was found to be less than satisfactory - the early steam propulsion systems were troublesome and inefficient. Eventually, the vessel was transferred from the Revenue Service to the Coast Survey Service, where it proved to be a vast improvement over the sail-powered vessels of the era for this sort of work. Being self-propelled, the Walker could simply motor up to the survey site and easily stay on station, not subject to the vagaries of the wind. The wreck was positively identified in 2013.