Valerie E

Type:
shipwreck, clam dredge
Built:
1968, Kennedy Brown, Palatka FL
Specs:
( 71 ft ) 116 gross tons, 3 crew
Sunk:
Thursday January 16, 1992; winter storm - no survivors
Depth:
75 ft

The Valerie E sank in the same storm as the John Marvin, off Atlantic City. Although the Valerie E sank off Long Island, her home port was Belford NJ.

Valerie E

CDROM

The Valerie E was a 71 ft clam dredge that was reported overdue at 12:30 PM on January 16, 1992. At the time she had three crewmen aboard. The Coast Guard located the sunken wreck the next day, but unfortunately in the frigid winter waters, there was little hope for the crew. They were never recovered and are presumed lost.

Shipwreck Valerie E

The wreck now sits on her port side in 75 feet of water. When we first visited this wreck in the spring of 1992 she was in near perfect condition. At that time her bronze propeller was still shiny. After a powerful Nor'easter in the fall of the same year, the wreck was moved about 200 feet inshore. Apparently, the storm was so powerful that the wreck actually bounced across the bottom because one of the propeller blades bent forward 90 degrees. In 1995 the Valerie E's 600 pound, four-foot diameter bronze propeller was successfully salvaged.

Excerpted from Wreck Valley CDROM by Dan Berg

Shipwreck Valerie E
side-scan sonar image

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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.