dotted with hundreds
of ships lost at seaCorrespondent
Garden State coastline
dotted with hundreds
of ships lost at sea
Correspondent
The Cecilia M. Dunlap as it appeared when it was known as the Parknook in the late 1800s. It wrecked in a storm near the Virgin Islands but was salvaged and later used for a variety of purposes before sinking in 1931 off the coast of Sea Bright.
Those seeking buried treasure need look no further than their own back yards.
Well, almost.
Sunken off the shore of the Garden State are shipwrecks hundreds of years old. While it is doubtful whether these ships contain chests full of gold and silver, they are a treasure-trove of historical artifacts.
"We have a very rich maritime and shipwreck history. Not a lot of people in the state know about this," said Dan Lieb of the New Jersey Historical Divers Association, a not-for-profit group of scuba divers, archaeologists and historians.
Lieb spoke to members of the Sayreville Historical Society Jan. 8 about the diver association’s efforts to research and document the sites of New Jersey shipwrecks.
One such site is that of a mysterious sunken ship that for years was known simply as the "Manasquan Wreck." Up until 1992, not much was known about the vessel, other than the fact that it "had a lot of hardware, such as anvils, casters, nuts and bolts," Lieb said.
However, after collecting and examining various artifacts from the ship, Lieb said researchers were able to determine a period of time during which it had
probably gone down. The ship was eventually identified as the Amity, which sank in 1824.
New Jersey has the dubious distinction of being the site of a countless number of shipwrecks, some known and many of which are still uncovered, Lieb said.
"At one time it was considered to be one of the 10 worst passages in the world," Lieb said.
The reason for this, Lieb explained, is that the oft-traveled passage from Sandy Hook to Rockaway, Long Island, is very short and narrow, making it crowded and difficult to navigate.
As a result, the waters off the New Jersey shore are the final resting place for a variety of boats ranging from schooners to steam freights, fishing trawlers, yachts, tugs, barkentines and tankers. These unfortunate boats met with a variety of fates — storms, explosions, collisions, fires, mechanical failures, faulty construction and even attacks by German U-boats, Lieb said.
One commonly dived shipwreck is located off Deal. In a strange twist of fate, two ships sank here in the same location. The barkentine Adonis, which was carrying lead ingots, millstones and other heavy cargo, sank during a storm in 1859. Eighteen years later, in 1877, the Rusland, a passenger steamer, sank on top of the Adonis during a storm.
Off Mantoloking is the Mohawk, another passenger ship. Bound for Cuba from New York in January 1935, she had mechanical difficulties, collided with another boat and sank.
Resting in waters off Barnegat is the R.P. Resor. This oil tanker was torpedoed by a German U-boat in 1942, Lieb said.
The Cecilia M. Dunlap, which sank in 1931 and whose location had been in doubt for decades thereafter, was positively identified by divers just two years ago about 2.5 nautical miles off Sea Bright in 60 feet of water. The boat was originally built in England in 1876 as the Parknook but served later as a schooner and then a barge. It foundered, according to Lieb, likely because of structural fatigue "after 55 years of hard service."
While New Jersey is notorious for shipwrecks, the state is also known for its role in helping to make sea travel safer, Lieb said. In fact, the Visitor Center at Sandy Hook once housed a U.S. Lifesaving Service station. The U.S. Lifesaving Service was a
forerunner to the U.S. Coast Guard.
Besides their historical value, shipwrecks offer other treasures as well.
Some, like the Spartan, a tugboat that worked the New York Harbor area toward the end of the 20th century, have been incorporated into New Jersey’s artificial reef, a state-run program that builds habitats for fish and other sea creatures using sunken ships, concrete, rocks and other rubble.
"Shipwrecks attract sea life," Lieb explained. "A wreck quickly becomes an ecosystem unto itself that should be valued and protected."