NJ Wreck Diving
Some information about some of our most popular and frequent destinations.
Mohawk
Type: Clyde-Mallory Lines (sailing under Ward Lines)
Name: A tribe of Iroquoian Indians of the eastern New York area. Three identical sisters were named Cherokee, Seminole, and Algonquin
Built: 1926, Newport News VA USA (Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.)
Specs: (387 x 54 ft) 5897 gross tons, 163 passengers & crew
Sunk: Thursday January 25, 1935 collision with Norwegian freighter Talisman - 45 casualties
Depth: 80 ft max
Tolten
Type: shipwreck, freighter, Chile ( originally Denmark )
Name: Tolten is a city on the central coast of Chile.
Built: 1938, Denmark, as Lotta
Specs: (280 x 43 ft) 1858 gross tons, 28 crew
Sunk: Friday March 13, 1942 torpedoed by U-404 - 27 casualties
Depth: 95 ft
Stolt Dagali
Type: tanker, Norway
Name: Stolt is the name of the line that owned the ship; it translates "proud". Dagali is a mountain valley in Norway.
Built: 1955, Denmark, as Dagali
Specs: (582 x 70 ft) 12723 gross tons, 43 crew
Sunk: Thursday November 26, 1964 (Thanksgiving day) collision with liner Shalom ( 25,338 tons ) - 19 casualties
Depth: 130 ft, starts at 60 ft
Arundo
Type: Freighter, Netherlands
Built: 1930, New Castle England, as Petersfield
Specs: (412 x 55 ft) 5163 gross tons, 43 crew
Sunk: Tuesday April 28, 1942 torpedoed by U-136 - 6 casualties
Depth: 140 ft max; 110 ft min; 125 ft typical
Maurice Tracy
Type: Collier, USA
Built: 1916, Ashtabula OH USA, as Nordstrand, later Sekstant
Specs: (253 x 43 ft) 2468 gross tons
Sunk: Saturday June 17, 1944 collision with freighter Jesse Billingsley - no casualties
Depth: 70 ft
R.P. Resor
Type: Tanker, USA
Name: Named for R P Resor, Treasurer of Standard Oil.
Built: 1936, Kearny NJ USA
Specs: (435 x 66 ft) 7451 gross tons, 49 crew
Sunk: Friday February 28, 1942 torpedoed by U-578 - 2 survivors
Depth: 125 ft
Pinta
Type: 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
Depth: 85 ft, starts at 55 ft
U.S.S. Algol
Type: Andromeda class attack transport ( freighter ), U.S. Navy, also known as a "Victory Ship", although often incorrectly referred to as a Liberty Ship
Name: One of a series of Navy transports named for stars; Algol is a star in the constellation Perseus, also known as the Demon star.
Built: 1943; Oakland CA USA, as James Barnes
Specs: (459 x 63 ft) 13910 displacement tons, 429 crew
Sunk: Thursday November 22, 1991
Depth: 145 ft +, starts at 70 ft, main deck at 110 ft
Great Isaac
Type: Tugboat, U.S. War Shipping Administration (Navy)
Name: All the ships of this class were named for lighthouses in the U.S., except for the Great Isaac, which is in the Bahamas.
Built: 1944, Boston MA USA
Specs: (185 x 37 ft) 1117 gross tons, 27 crew
Sunk: Wednesday April 16, 1947 collision with Norwegian freighter Bandeirante - no casualties
Depth: 90 ft
San Saba
Type: Freighter, USA
Name: San Saba is a river in central Texas, a tributary of the Colorado River of Texas.
Built: 1879, Chester PA USA, as Colorado
Specs: (306 x 39 ft) 2458 gross tons, 37 crew
Sunk: Friday October 4, 1918 struck mine laid by U-117 - 30 casualties
Depth: 80 ft
Coney Island
Type: Tanker, sludge
Built: 1938, Staten Island NY USA
Specs: (250 x 40 ft)
Sponsor: Crystal Oil Corporation, Marine Trades Assn. of NJ, Fisherman Magazine
Sunk: Thursday September 10, 1987
Depth: 125 ft, starts at 80 ft
Sam Berman
Type: Tanker
Built: 1947, Brooklyn NY USA as Philip Lemler
Specs: (160 x 30 ft) 478 tons
Sunk: Thursday September 10, 1987
Depth: 125 ft
Oregon
Type: Liner, Cunard Line, England
Built: 1881, Scotland
Specs: (518 x 54 ft) 7500 gross tons, 845 passengers & crew
Sunk: Monday March 14, 1886 collision, probably with schooner Charles R Morse - no casualties
Depth: 125 ft, highest point 85 ft
U.S.S. San Diego
Type: Armored cruiser, U.S. Navy
Built: 1904, San Francisco USA, as U.S.S. California
Specs: (503 x 70 ft) 13680 displacement tons
Sunk: Friday July 19, 1918 explosion, probably struck a mine laid by U-156 officially 6 casualties, probably 30-40 in reality
Depth: 110 ft, starts at 65 ft
Gulf Trade
Type: Tanker, USA ( Gulf Oil )
Name: One of a series of ships owned by Gulf Oil company, all named "Gulf ____"
Built: 1920, Chester PA USA
Specs: (430 x 59 ft) 6776 gross tons, 34 crew
Sunk: Tuesday March 10, 1942 torpedoed by U-588 - 18 casualties
Depth: bow - 60 ft ; stern - 90 ft
Lillian
Type: Freighter, USA
Built: 1920, Wilmington DE USA, as Maddequet
Specs: (327 x 46 ft) 3482 gross tons, 32 crew
Sunk: Sunday February 26, 1939 collision with freighter Wiegand ( 6568 tons) - no casualties
Depth: 150 ft
Ayuroaca (Oil Wreck)
Type: Freighter, Brazil
Built: 1930, Germany, as Roland
Specs: (468 x 58 ft) 6872 gross tons, 67 crew
Sunk: Wednesday June 10, 1945 ( well after cessation of hostilities )
collision with freighter General Fleischer - 1 casualty
Depth: 170 ft, starts at 110 ft
Vizcaya
Type: Steamer, Spain
Name: Vizcaya is a Basque province in northern Spain. The Basques are a fiercely independent seafaring people of unknown origin.
Built: 1872, England, as Santander
Specs: (287 x 38 ft) 2458 gross tons, 103 passengers & crew
Sunk: Saturday October 30, 1890 collision with schooner Cornelius Hargraves - 60 casualties
Depth: 80 ft
Dykes
Type: Schooner barge, USA
( The small smokestack in the pictures is for an electrical generator. )
Built: 1919, Baltimore MD USA
Specs: ( 306 x 35 ft ) 2072 tons, 14 crew
Sponsor: Modern Transportation Co.
Sunk: July 1983
Depth: 65 ft
Venturo Tug
Type: Tugboat, U.S. Navy
Built: 1943, Neponset, MA as DPC-14, later Matt Turecamo
Specs: ( 86 ft ) 146 gross tons
Dedication: Captain Greg A Venturo
Sunk: Thursday October 17, 1996
Depth: 80 ft, main deck at 65 ft
Cranford Ferry
Type: Ferry, Central Railroad of New Jersey, USA
( sometimes incorrectly identified as a barge )
Name: All CRRNJ ferries were named for New Jersey towns
Built: 1905, Wilmington DE USA
Specs: ( 191 x 44 ft ) 1197 tons
Sponsor: Ashley Development Corporation
Sunk: Tuesday March 30, 1982
Depth: 70 ft
Texas Tower
Type:collapsed radar platform, USAF
Built: 1955, Portland ME USA
Specs: ( 67 ft above water) 6000 tons, 14 crew (minimum)
Sunk: Sunday January 15, 1961 storm/structural failure/design deficiency - no survivors
Depth: 180 ft, starts at 110 ft
U-869 (U-Who)
Type: Type IXc/40 U-boat, Kriegsmarine, Germany
Specs: ( 252 x 22 ft ) 1051 displacement tons, 48-56 crew
Built: 1944, Germany
Sunk: February 11, 1945 sunk by destroyer escort USS Crow - no survivors
Depth: 240 ft
City of Athens
Type: Liner, USA
Built: 1911, Camden NJ USA, as Somerset
Specs: ( 309 x 46 ft ) 3648 gross tons, 135 passengers & crew
Sunk: Wednesday May 1, 1918 collision with French Navy cruiser La Gloire - 67 casualties
Depth: 110 ft
Varanger
Type: Tanker, Norway
Name: A peninsula in north-east Norway ( a cold place ) also, an old Scandinavian term for "Viking"
Built: 1925, Netherlands
Specs: ( 470 x 60 ft ) 9305 gross tons, 40 crew
Sunk: Sunday January 25, 1942 torpedoed by U-130 - no casualties
Depth: 140 ft
Northern Pacific
Type: Liner, USA
Built: 1915, Philadelphia PA USA
Specs: ( 509 x 63 ft ) 8256 gross tons, 28 crew
Sunk: Wednesday February 8, 1922 burned - 4 casualties
Depth: 140 ft
U.S.S. S-5
Type: Submarine, U.S. Navy
Built: 1920, Portsmouth Navy Yard, NH USA
Specs: ( 231 x 21 ft ) 876 displacement tons, 37 crew
Sunk: Wednesday September 1, 1920 flooded during test dive - no casualties
Depth: 165 ft