Shipwreck Diving Long Island ( A) Artifacts (L) Lobster (F) Fish |
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Please click on the map or on the name of the wreck below to see explanations of many of these wrecks and contact us if you want to see them with your own eyes! Thank you! A 470 foot USN Attack Transport Built by Moore Dry Dock Co. of Oakland California on February 1943 and named James Baines. On December 1943 was transferred to the Navy and Commissioned AKA 54 USN Algol.Specifications: 470 foot long, with a 63 foot beam and displaced 6,830 tons with a speed of 16.5 knots. Built as an attack cargo vessel, the Algol was designed to assist in amphibious invasion by carrying tanks, trucks and artillery to the troops assaulting beachheads. She also carried 24 landing crafts which were used to ferry troops assaulting beachheads and evacuating wounded from the invasion area. She was manned by 44 officers, 30 petty officers and 350 enlisted men. In November 1947 she was inactivated, but returned to active services February 1948. On August 1950 the Algol transported reinforcements for the invasion of Inchon Korea, serving the Pacific Fleet and the US Marines Corps till 1958 when she was decommissioned. During her service the USS Algol had received not only two World War II battle stars but five Korean battle stars. On November 21, 1991 at about 12:30 PM she was scattered with explosives. The Algol Started to sink to 130 foot of water where it is presently located. She is up right with a 50 foot relief, so you can dive the wreck in less than 80 foot of water. The USN Algol is 32 Miles South of Rockaway Inlet. Noted for abundance of marine life along with mussels, fish, lobster and artifacts. (A,L,F,) The Relief Ship was built by the New York Shipbuilding Company, Camden, New Jersey in 1904. She was 129 feet long by 29 feet wide, with a displacement of 566 tons and powered by a 600 hp. Diesel. The light ship carried a 60,000 candle power oscillating light, one of the most powerful lights of its kind in the world at the time. On June 24, 1960 the red hulled white lettered Relief Lightship was on station filling in for the Wal-613 ( Ambrose Light Ship ) which was in Staten Island for her yearly overhaul. The Wal-505 beacons were flashing and her foghorn was sounding at regular intervals, when she was struck on her starboard side amidships by the class C-2 freighter, Green Bay. The Captain of the Green Bay, Tom Mazzella, had apparently misinterpreted the location of the Lightship on his radar. The Green Bay, which had been navigating through a thick fog at the time, was not seriously damaged, but the Lightship went down within ten minutes. All of her crew of nine was rescued without injuries. The Lightship now rests 12 miles SE of Rockaway inlet, just North West of Ambrose Tower, upright in 100 feet of water, with a 15 foot relief, She remains relatively intact with exception of her light masts that were wire dragged down, so as not to be a hazard to navigation. Visibility is usually good but is normally dark. (A,F,L,) Built in 1930 by the Northumberland Shipbuilding Co. in New Castle, England the Arundo was formerly named the Petersfield the Cromarty, and renamed Arundo. Specifications: 412 feet long, 55 feet wide and displaced 5,097 tons. On April 28, 1942, The Arundo was en route from New York to Alexandria Egypt, Via Cape Town South Africa. She fell victim to a torpedo which was launched from the German submarine U-136. At the time of the attack, she was transporting two locomotives, 123 trucks and jeeps, plus assorted war supplies including 10,000 cases of bottle Canadian Beer. The torpedo hit the Arundo on her Starboard side. Six members of her crew were lost. The Arundo now rests in an area called Wreck Valley, 24 miles S of the Rockaway Inlet in 120 feet of water with a relief of 25 feet. Her structure is somewhat intact. An abundance of beer bottles are scattered all over the wreck. Big lobsters, fish and artifacts are there for the taking. (A, F, L, ) The Asfalto is a 300 foot long, with a 40 foot beam, steel hull sailing vessel which was converted to a garbage barge, She sank in the early 1900, how and why is unknown. Though it has many names given it by several captains, when I first dove it in 1973 I named it the Cindy, after a nurse on board who found a gold snuff box while diving there. Since those days many prized lobsters, bottles and artifacts have been recovered. The name Asfalto was researched by Captain Dan Berg of Wreck Valley.(AquaExplorers.com) I personally retrieved an 18 Lb. lobster off this Wreck. The wreck rests 18 miles SE of the Rockaway inlet in 90 feet of water with a 15 foot relief. Though low lying and scattered over a large area the location the wreck lays is the same area known to be a dump sight for the garbage of New York City in the late 1800 and early 1900. This is the reason there are such abundance of old bottles at this dive site. Come join us and add several prize bottles to your collection and maybe a lobster or two. (A, L, F,)
A Wood 200 foot Sailing Vessel sunk in the early 1900s. How and why is unknown. It is a wreck with many names, I called it the Lobster Palace, because of the abundance of large lobsters caught while diving on this wreck. Even if you did not catch a lobster you could see lobsters up to 20 lbs lurking between the timbers of the wreck. You will see a large quantity of coble stones which were used as ballast. It is said the stone ballast were removed from the sailing vessels and then used to pave the streets of New York City. With a 15 foot relief, low lying and scattered over a large area you can find some beautiful old Madison bottles among the wreckage. George one of the mates recovered a miners lamp in perfect condition. She is 15 miles South of the Rockaway Inlet in 80 foot of water. (A,L,F,) Recovered by George Schramm at the Bald Eagle Wreck The Black warrior was built 1852 in New York for the New York and New Orleans Steam Ship Co. The wood ship was 225 feet in length with a 37 foot beam and flanked by two steam driven side wheels. The Black Warrior carried mail, passengers and cargo. Most of her voyages were between New York, New Orleans and Havana Cuba. Her most notable voyage was on February 28, 1854, when she was seized by the newly appointed governor of Cuba. The governor stated that the Alabama cotton on board the ship should have been listed for Havana customs. The captain and crew were forced to leave the ship while Cuban officials confiscated the cargo. After transferring the Warrior’s crew to the American steamer Fulton, the Cuban officials imposed a $6,000 fine and detained the Warrior. Pro-slavery forces in this country used the Warrior incident as a reason to demand war with Spain. Their hopes were to add Cuba as another slave territory. Fortunately, Spain surrendered her position and not only repaid the original fine of $6,000 but an additional compensation of $53,000 for the detention of the Warrior. On February 20, 1859, about 9:00 am while trying to enter New York harbor in heavy fog, the ship ran aground on the Rockaway bar. All passengers, crew and cargo were brought safely to New York by the assisting vessels. At first, she was resting easy and no trouble was anticipated in towing her off. Unfortunately the Black Warrior struck at high tide, and although during the next few days every effort was made to save her, she settled deeper into the sand. Finally on February 24, 1859 during high tide, she was moved about 100 feet before grounding again. The same day a gale blew up and the once proud Black Warrior was pounded to pieces. The Black Warrior is 3 miles east of the Rockaway Inlet in 35 foot of water with a relief of 10 feet. Among the treasures recovered from this wreck were portholes, silverware with the vessels name engraved, brass nails and spikes. Black fish and lobster are also seen. The Jeanne II was used to tape a diving episode for Fox’s Good morning America with Larry Hoff using the Black Warrior as a diving background. Also CBS News and many more did the same thing. (A, F, L,) Sunk 9-10-1987 For the Shark River Artificial reef NJ. The Coney Island was built in 1938. She was 250 feet long and had a 40 foot beam. She was used to haul New York City sewage sludge to ocean disposal sites. Sunk intact with explosives. She now sits upright in121 feet of water. penetration into any shipwreck should only be done by those with proper training, experience and wreck diving equipment. This wreck we call the Eureka is not the wreck we thought, for Lloyd’s register states that the Tug Boat Eureka was dismantled in 1950. The unknown wreck lies 23 miles SE of the Rockaway inlet, in 110 foot of water and has a 10 foot relief. Her length is 125 feet with a 25 foot beam. This wreck has good visibility and has provided many lobsters, scallops, big fish and old bottles. (A,L,F,). The Fran S was a 84 foot tug with a 25 foot beam. Built in1899 sunk in 1972. She lies upright in 70 feet of water with a 20 foot relief. Located 11 miles ESE from the Rockaway inlet her hull serves as part of the artificial reef program, providing refuge for a wide array of marine life. It is an interesting dive location. The area is excellent for big black fish and sea bass. It’s almost commonplace for divers to see big 10 to 12 lbs black fish swimming in and out of her upper structure. (A,L,F,). A 296 foot long and 40 wide steel hulled Great Lakes Steamer. She was built by Globe Iron Works in December of 1890. She displaced 2,418 Gross tons. She was originally named German then changed to Yankee and she sailed under the flag of the United States Steel Corp. The company’s entire fleet sailed exclusively on the Great Lakes. It seams that during WWI she was cut in half, brought out of the Great Lakes then reconstructed and transferred to the East Coast for the coal trade. In June 19, 1919 while in route from Norfolk, Virginia to Boston, Massachusetts carrying a cargo of coal, the Yankee entered a dense fog. Soon after she collided with the Italian Liner Argentina. The Argentina struck and sheared off the Yankee stern, The Argentina’s propeller ripped through her hull, causing a fatal wound. Captain John Lachenmayer, an EDBA member, found the artifacts on the wreck known as the G & D which identified it as the true Yankee. She lies 32 miles SE of the Rockaway Inlet in 110 foot of water and has a 15 foot relief. This wreck is known for big lobsters, fish and scallops.(A,L,F,)
A 255 foot Tramp Steamer built in 1881 by the S and H Mortin Co. in Leith, Scotland. She displaced 1,388 tons, was 255 feet long and 36 feet wide. The Iberia was bound from the Persian Gulf to New York. She developed engine trouble just a few miles off Long Island, where she lay at anchor for three weeks awaiting repairs. On Saturday November 10, 1888 the 520 foot long Cunard luxury liner, Umbria, bound for Liverpool, encountered dense fog. At 1:18 PM. the Umbria sliced off the stern of ill-fated Iberia. Both ships remained near each other at anchor overnight, but by the next morning, the Iberia was sinking. Within hours, a bulkhead gave way, sending the Iberia, plus her cargo of dates, coffee and wood to rest in 60 feet of water. Her relief is 15 foot, though low lying and scattered over a large area the location is excellent for lobsters, fish and artifacts . Divers can still find wood crates that once contained her cargo of dates or swim over a large four bladed steel propeller. The wreck lies 12 miles ESE of the Rockaway inlet. (A, F, L,) A 270 feet sailing vessel decommissioned to a garbage barge sunk the early 1900s. Lies in 95 foot of water, her relief is 10 feet and is located 20 miles SE of the Rockaway Inlet.Though low lying and scattered over a large area the location is excellent for lobsters, fish and artifacts. This area was the location of the dump for the garbage from New York City in the mid 1800’s and early 1900’s. That is why there is an abundance of old bottles in and around this wreck. The wreck seams to be in three sections, or it may be three different wrecks. Come join us and you may find a trophy lobster or bottle. (A, F, L,) She was a 243' wood inland freighter, built in 1894, better known as the Fire Island Light Ship vessel. She sunk in July 1909 and lies in 110' of water. Divers found artifacts identifying this ship as the Madagascar, which was renamed the Kenosha in 1907. This wreck is known for an abundance of large lobsters, fish and scallops. This vessel is 34 miles ESE from the Rockaway Inlet. (A,L,F,) The late Harvey Lenoard with a monster lobster he caught on the Kenosha. The Lizzie D, also known as the Rum Runner, was a tug boat, 84 foot long and 23 foot wide with a 15 foot relief. She was sunk in 1922 and lies in 80 foot of water. Her cargo was Bourbon, Scotch and Whiskey. In 1922 the owner's casualty report, filed with the Dept. of Commerce’s Bureau of navigation stated: the 84 foot tug was on a “cruise of the narrows,” carrying no cargo, but with eight crew members on board when she went down. The Lizzie D was reported sunk due to unknown reasons. All of the crew was lost. In the mid 1970’s I started diving the Rum Runner leaving the dock at 5 am and doing one dive so as not to be cough by other boats and specially other dive boats. We recovered a large amount of bottles, some filled. They were exploding on deck, so Dr. Al Pomina introduced a big hypo needle through the cork to relieve the pressure from the bottles and avoid the explosions. I had a friend in the PD lab who tested our recovery and the Bourbon bottles with foil seals over the corks came up good, so on te way home on several occasions the passengers were treated to then 55 year old Bourbon. I also gave several full bottles to some of the old captains in Sheepshead Bay and they thought it was great. There are fish, lobsters, mussels and still bottles “if you dig” .The wreck lies 14 miles ESE of the Rockaway inlet. In 2006 we were still recovering bottles. (A,L,F,). Wrecks and reefs in the New York Bite area in less than 60’ of water. The wrecks we frequent are off the Rockaway coast are: Mistletoe was a wood hulled side wheeler steam ship built 1872, 152 feet long by 27 foot wide. Sunk on May 5 1924. Her relief is 10 foot and it is located in 40 foot of water 3 miles E of the Rockaway Inlet. There are man made reefs along the Rockaway Cost ranging in depths from 30 feet to 45 feet. The oldest is the Cross Bay Bridge, ( they removed the old cross Bay bridge which ran from Rockaway to Queens and dumped it off of Riis Park) it occupies 7 main locations. Then the West Side Highway elevated structure which ran along the west side in NYC and the Marginal Pier which was part of Floyd Bennett Field were added. There are lobsters, fish, mussels and an abundance of marine life. We do our local night dives on these sections. Starting in May we will dedicate the first Sunday of the month to local shallow diving. Join us on Shallow Sunday at 6 am for one dive or at 12 pm for 2 dives. Call for reservations. These reefs are located 3 to 4 Miles E of the Rockaway Inlet. (A,L,F,) It is a large 300’ wooden structure, the name and when it sunk is unknown. It lies in 90 foot of water and has a relief of greater than 20 feet. In the past we have recovered many large lobsters, and on our night dive specials many a lobster were brought on board. There are also many prized bottles recovered too. It is not uncommon to see very large black fish swimming through the wreck. The visibility in this location is very good. (A,L,F,) This wreck seams to be a steel sailing vessel or a sea going barge,
it shows no machinery. It is about 150 feet+ long with a 30 foot beam, to date we have not found any artifacts to truly identify it. A video was made of this wreck by Ken Koga which you can find under The Captain on my web page http://www.jeanne-ii.com./ . It lies in 95 to 110 foot of water with a 15 foot relief, located 23 miles S of the Rockaway Inlet. Good for lobsters, fish and an abundance of marine life. This wreck is a steal wreck and could be a bow of a small tanker or a sea going barge it is about 160 foot long with a 30 foot beam showing a 15 foot relief, it rests 24 miles S of the Rockaway inlet, we have recovered many large lobsters from this wreck but as of yet no artifacts to identify the name of this wreck. (F,L,) On either New Wreck #1 or #2 if you find an artifact which will identify either one you will receive a free T shirt. Check under Captain’s Videos for this wreck. It is a Dutch Freighter 194 foot long by 31 wide built in 1959 and sunk with her cargo of wood timbers in 1963, when struck by the British freighter City of Perth. It lies on its side in 80 feet of water, her relief is 30 feet. This is one of the fully intact wrecks that divers love to visit, the visibility is usually good and there are mussels, lobsters and fish available to all levels of diver. The wreck lies 20 miles S of the Rockaway inlet. This wreck is still one of my favorites. (A,L,F,) It si a 75 foot long and 35 foot wide, wooden push barge which has large pipes on her deck, and in the sand near by. This is a diver friendly wreck which produces a large quantity of lobsters and fish, especially on night dives. It lies in 60 foot of water, her relief is 15 feet the location is 11 miles E of the Rockaway Inlet. (L,F). It is a 205 foot long and 32 foot wide, 980 tons steam ship built 1902 in Richmond Virginia. She was commissioned on May 10, 1904 and was owned by the Treasury Dept. (USCG). In April 6, 1917 she was temporarily transferred to the Navy where the Mohawk served doing coastal duty for convoy operations. On October 1, 1917 the Mohawk was struck by the british tanker, SS Vennacher, which was part of a convoy going to Europe with material for the troops in WW I. The 77 crew members were rescued by other ships of the convoy. After she was struck it only took one hour for her to go down. Today, the R.C. Mohawk rests 12 miles S of the Rockaway Inlet in 100 foot of water with a relief of over 15 foot. This wreck still has a large variety of artifacts because for years the city of New York dumped in this area. It has been over 15 years since they stopped dumping so the wreck has come back to life and visibility is usually good. In 2006 the Crew members of the Jeanne II recovered a 375 Lbs. soled Bronze gate valve, along with many other artifacts. (A,L,F,) SAN DIEGO USS San Diego
Under the impression that a submarine was surely in the area, the men stayed at their posts until Captain Christy shouted the order " All hands abandon ship ". In a last ditch effort to save his ship, Captain H. Christy had steamed toward Fire Island Beach, but never made it. At 11:51 AM the San Diego sank, only 28 minutes after the initial explosion. In accordance with navy tradition, Captain Christy was the last man to leave his ship. As the vessel was turning over, he made his way from the bridge down two ladders to the boat deck over the side to the armor belt, dropped four feet to the bilge keel and finally jumped overboard from the docking keel which was then only eight feet from the water. As the Captain left his ship, men in the life boats cheered him and started to sing our National Anthem. Most survivors were picked up by nearby vessels, but at least four life boats full of men rowed ashore, three at Bellport and one near the Lone Hill Coast Guard Station. The San Diego was the only major warship lost by the United States in World War I. The original casualty reports ranged from 30 to 40. Apparently, the muster roll on the San Diego was not saved. The only list of men on board was the payroll of June 30, but since the end of June, they had received and transferred over 100 men. When the Navy eventually finalized the death toll, the official count was only six. Since her sinking, there has been much debate about whether it was a torpedo, German mine or U.S. mine that sent the cruiser to Davy Jones' Locker. Captain Christy wrote in his final log that they had been hit by a torpedo. The Navy, however, found and destroyed five or six German surface mines in the vicinity, so it is generally accepted that a mine laid by the U-156 did the job. Ironically, the U-156 was sunk on its homeward journey possibly by a U.S. mine. On July 26, 1918, the U.S.S. Passaic arrived over the wreck. Two divers were sent down to report on the condition of the San Diego. They reported the following; " Many loose rivets lying on the bottom ... masts and smoke stack are lying on the bottom under and on starboard side of ship ... ship lies heading about north depth of water over starboard bilge is 36 feet ... air is still coming out of the ship from nearly bow to stern. It seems likely that as air escapes and she loses buoyancy, she may crush her superstructure and settle deeper". From this report the Navy concluded that the vessel was not salvageable. As quoted from their letter to the Chief of Naval Operations, " In view of the reported condition and position of the San Diego, the Bureau is of the opinion that an attempt to salvage the vessel as a whole, or to recover any of the guns, would not be warranted". They did, however, have concerns about the site being a hazard to navigation and the possibility of dynamiting her to increase the available depth of water over the wreck. On October 15, the U.S.S. Resolute took another sounding on the site. It found that the wreck had settled slightly and now had 40 feet of water over her, so the wreck was not blown up. In 1962, salvage rights to the San Diego were sold for $14,000. The salvage company planned to blow up the wreck for scrap metal. Several groups including the American Littoral Society, Marine Angling Club and National Party Boat Owners Association banded together and lobbied. After a lot of bad publicity, public outcry and a financial compensation, the salvage company agreed to give up the job. The wreck, now an artificial reef, supports teeming amounts of aquatic life, not to mention many charter boat operations.
On June 3, 1982, the N.Y. POST reported that the bomb squad had been tipped off that a local diver had recovered a two foot long, five inch diameter artillery shell from the San Diego. The diver had planned to sand-blast it and stand it next to his fire place. The shell was confiscated, but because it was too powerful for Suffolk's detonation site it had to be transported to Ft. Dix, New Jersey and detonated by the Army. Lt. Thomas, commander of the Suffolk bomb squad, said, " it's the biggest warhead I've ever seen; it could go off just from drying out".
Excerpted from Wreck Valley CDROM by Dan Berg Armor plating makes most warships top-heavy compared to other vessels, and as a result they flip over when they sink, just as the San Diego has. The old hull is more or less intact, but rusting through in many places, allowing access to new parts of the interior all the time. The ship is still full of live ammunition, and every so often some idiot will bring a piece of it up, resulting in a very interesting day for the local bomb squad. Explosives generally become more unstable with age, and being immersed in the water does little to change that. Souvenir shells from the San Diego could go off from a tap, or even just from drying out! Since the Navy claims ownership of the San Diego, and because of its status as a war grave, it is strictly illegal to "salvage" any artifacts from the wreck anyway. In addition, the San Diego has recently been declared it a "National Historic Site." It is a 583 foot, 19,150 ton Norwegian Tanker built in 1955 in Denmark by Burmeister and Wain shipbuilders. On November 26, 1964 (Thanksgiving Day) while carrying a cargo of vegetable and coconut oil from Philadelphia to Newark, N.J., she entered a dense fog bank. With in minutes of entering the fog, the bow of the 629 foot Israeli luxury liner, SS Shalom. Which was outbound for a Caribbean cruise, collided with the Stolt Dagali’s port side, sheering off her stern? A total of 19 crew members lost their lives. Most of the men killed were sleeping in the 140 foot stern section which sunk in minutes. The lucky men who were on the bow of the vessel including the Captain and nine others were rescued. The SS Shalom was not fatally wounded but did suffer a 40 foot gash on her starboard side, as a result of the collision. The S.S. Shalom and the Stolt Dagali’s bow section, which stayed afloat, were towed to the port of New York for repairs. Today a 140 foot piece of the Stolt Dagali’s stern rests on its starboard side 32 Miles SSE out of the Rockaway Inlet. Her remains lie in 130 foot of water, but rises to within 65 feet of the surface you can find all types of aquatic life here. Captain George Hoffman With Helm from Stolt Dagali. 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 crew men 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. 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 shinny. 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. It is a 165' sea water tanker built-in 1944 and was sunk as a Diver Friendly wreck in July 1998. It lies in 120' of water approximately 1/2 mile NW of the USN ALGOL, her relief is over 30'. It was also loaded with large tires which started producing lobsters immediately. (A,L,F,). This 174' fuel oil transport tanker built in 1944 and was in service in W.W.II. She is 174 foot long and 33 wide with a 64 foot vertical high. She was sunk on June 2000 and lies in 130 foot of water on its port side with a relief of 33 foot. Diver Friendly. (A,L,F)
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