Pinta (1/3)

Shipwreck Pinta
Type:
shipwreck, freighter, Netherlands
Name:
The Pinta was one of three sister ships named for Columbus' original three vessels, the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria.
Built:
1959, Denmark
Specs:
( 194 x 31 ft ) 1000 gross tons, 12 crew
Sunk:
Wednesday May 8, 1963
collision with freighter City of Perth ( 7547 tons) - no casualties
GPS:
40°13.827' -73°50.625' (AWOIS 1988)
Depth:
85 ft, starts at 55 ft
compass

How two ships in the age of radar and on a clear day could collide on the open sea is a mystery. Nonetheless, we now have the Pinta as one of the best dive sites in New Jersey. This relatively small vessel lies on its port side on a clean sandy bottom. It is still quite recognizable as a ship, and is the perfect size for sightseeing - you can swim from end to end several times on a single tank of air. It also makes a good multi-level training dive.

The first time I saw the Pinta in 1995, the hull was still pretty much intact ( as illustrated above ), but it is now really beginning to decay. The bow is still in good shape, but the rest of the wreck is wrecked. Most of the hull has collapsed. The stern is exploded, and I believe the engine room is now open.

On the back side of the wreck, the bottom of the ship is covered with nice mussels, while the top of the wreck is covered with beautiful anemones and hydroids. Fish abound, some large ones, and lobsters can be found in the spaces between the wood planks, although this small wreck can and does get fished out pretty quickly.

Shipwreck Pinta
Shipwreck Pinta
Shipwreck Pinta engine
The now-exposed engine
Shipwreck Pinta wood
Timbers spilled out of the cargo hold into the sand
Shipwreck Pinta
shipwreck Pinta
Companionways near the stern. This area of the wreck has since collapsed.
Shipwreck Pinta
Marine growth and a school of baby Sea Bass crowd the top of the wreck. Since the wreck collapsed, it no longer looks like this.
Shipwreck Pinta
lobster

I caught this little lobster in the sand around the back side of the wreck, and carried him up to the top where the light is better. Lobsters don't have much stamina, and after a few minutes of tickling, it thrashed itself into exhaustion and became an obliging photo subject. I set him down in a nice patch of anemones, took a few shots, and then let him disappear into a crack in the hull.

Shipwreck Pinta
Cunners and white coral on one of the masts.

Although it's not far offshore, the Pinta is a relatively long drive from any port. If it turns out to be occupied, there are few alternates to choose from in the area, so you may get a "New Deal".

Shipwreck Pinta New York Times
Herb Segars Photography
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Type:
shipwreck, schooner barge, USA ( formerly a clipper )
Built:
1864, Bath ME USA, as Ocean Signal
Specs:
( 187 x 38 ft ) 1265 gross tons, 4 crew
Sunk:
Wednesday January 26, 1898
foundered in storm - no survivors
Depth:
110 ft

Printed from njscuba.net