Cranford Trip Report
I know it's the Cranford so how exciting can this trip report be, but its the great weather, great friends and fun times out on "lake" Atlantic that counts 
Once again we were on "lake" Atlantic greeted by calm seas with only 1 to 2 foot waves. This past Thursday Ken with his Optima, Stephen with his Meg, Dave and Jason on OC and myself on the rEvo headed out on the Poseidon destined for the old Cranford ferry, now an artificial reef lying in about 70'. We only did one dive each with bottom temps hanging around 41 degrees, the viz anywhere between 10' to 20' and 70 minutes bottom time except for Ken who racked up 102! This dive also gave me the chance to try out my new side mount configuration on the rEvo, which worked out much better than I expected. Other than for a minor technical glitch we had on the boat we all had a great time with Ken bringing up one lone lobster and a BBQ and laughs afterwards on board.
The Cranford was a propeller-driven, steam-powered, double-decker, double-ended ferry belonging to the now-defunct Central Railroad of New Jersey. She was built by the Harlan & Hollingsworth Company in Delaware, and was the third of five all-steel Elizabeth II class sister ships. These ferries carried train commuters from the CRRNJ's combined rail/ferry terminal in Jersey City across the Hudson to points in Manhattan.
After her retirement in 1965, the Cranford was sold to a pair of brothers who brought her to a dock in Brielle on the Manasquan River. She apparently made the trip under her own power. There she was converted to a floating restaurant, which was apparently quite good and very successful for a time, operating until 1979. The brothers then tried to move the vessel to a new location, but were denied permits by the government, which did not want to see a repeat of the Cranford's eventful trip into the river in 1965. At that time, her superstructure collided with and damaged the railroad bridge, through which the big ship barely fit. The Cranford's incident closed the bridge to train traffic for several days until repairs could be made. That's thousands of commuters inconvenienced. Needless to say, the railroad was miffed over the whole affair.
So the sad old ferryboat moldered and became an eyesore until 1982, when she was finally sold for one dollar to a welding concern that hacked off her entire upper works ( which were mostly wood ) and sold it for scrap. The triple-expansion steam engine, three boilers and condenser were apparently removed as well. The remaining flat barge-like hulk was donated to the Artificial Reef Committee, carefully maneuvered through the railroad bridge and out to sea by a pair of tugboats, and sunk in the vicinity of the future Sea Girt Artificial Reef. The Cranford is today one of the most popular spots on the reef and has been visited by thousands of divers - a fitting end for the old ship. Several of the PATH cars that helped put the ferries out of business are sunk on the Sea Girt Reef as well.
The remains of the Cranford are well broken-down. In poor visibility the Cranford seems like a junkyard, but in good visibility it is possible to make out the layout of the ship. Curved sections of the hull jut up from the sand along either side of the wreck. Parts of the hull ribbing still stick up 10 ft or more. The main hull structure was iron, but most of the decking is wood. The propellers lie buried in the sand at each end, with just one blade protruding, inside tunnels formed by the collapsed hull.
The edges of this expansive wreck can be followed all the way around the sandy interior, giving this reef its nickname - "the sandbox". Much decking and debris also lies inside the walls, mostly metal, and some wood. In the center of the wreck, the engine and boiler room can be found by a thick layer of fire bricks and iron gratings. Depending on the shifting sands, you can also find the propeller shafts. The Cranford is an excellent spearfishing site; much less good for lobsters. The Cranford makes for a great night dive.
Once again we were on "lake" Atlantic greeted by calm seas with only 1 to 2 foot waves. This past Thursday Ken with his Optima, Stephen with his Meg, Dave and Jason on OC and myself on the rEvo headed out on the Poseidon destined for the old Cranford ferry, now an artificial reef lying in about 70'. We only did one dive each with bottom temps hanging around 41 degrees, the viz anywhere between 10' to 20' and 70 minutes bottom time except for Ken who racked up 102! This dive also gave me the chance to try out my new side mount configuration on the rEvo, which worked out much better than I expected. Other than for a minor technical glitch we had on the boat we all had a great time with Ken bringing up one lone lobster and a BBQ and laughs afterwards on board.
The Cranford was a propeller-driven, steam-powered, double-decker, double-ended ferry belonging to the now-defunct Central Railroad of New Jersey. She was built by the Harlan & Hollingsworth Company in Delaware, and was the third of five all-steel Elizabeth II class sister ships. These ferries carried train commuters from the CRRNJ's combined rail/ferry terminal in Jersey City across the Hudson to points in Manhattan.
After her retirement in 1965, the Cranford was sold to a pair of brothers who brought her to a dock in Brielle on the Manasquan River. She apparently made the trip under her own power. There she was converted to a floating restaurant, which was apparently quite good and very successful for a time, operating until 1979. The brothers then tried to move the vessel to a new location, but were denied permits by the government, which did not want to see a repeat of the Cranford's eventful trip into the river in 1965. At that time, her superstructure collided with and damaged the railroad bridge, through which the big ship barely fit. The Cranford's incident closed the bridge to train traffic for several days until repairs could be made. That's thousands of commuters inconvenienced. Needless to say, the railroad was miffed over the whole affair.
So the sad old ferryboat moldered and became an eyesore until 1982, when she was finally sold for one dollar to a welding concern that hacked off her entire upper works ( which were mostly wood ) and sold it for scrap. The triple-expansion steam engine, three boilers and condenser were apparently removed as well. The remaining flat barge-like hulk was donated to the Artificial Reef Committee, carefully maneuvered through the railroad bridge and out to sea by a pair of tugboats, and sunk in the vicinity of the future Sea Girt Artificial Reef. The Cranford is today one of the most popular spots on the reef and has been visited by thousands of divers - a fitting end for the old ship. Several of the PATH cars that helped put the ferries out of business are sunk on the Sea Girt Reef as well.
The remains of the Cranford are well broken-down. In poor visibility the Cranford seems like a junkyard, but in good visibility it is possible to make out the layout of the ship. Curved sections of the hull jut up from the sand along either side of the wreck. Parts of the hull ribbing still stick up 10 ft or more. The main hull structure was iron, but most of the decking is wood. The propellers lie buried in the sand at each end, with just one blade protruding, inside tunnels formed by the collapsed hull.
The edges of this expansive wreck can be followed all the way around the sandy interior, giving this reef its nickname - "the sandbox". Much decking and debris also lies inside the walls, mostly metal, and some wood. In the center of the wreck, the engine and boiler room can be found by a thick layer of fire bricks and iron gratings. Depending on the shifting sands, you can also find the propeller shafts. The Cranford is an excellent spearfishing site; much less good for lobsters. The Cranford makes for a great night dive.
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