This
unidentified shipwreck sits in only 80 feet of water off Jones Inlet Long
Island. The wreck was discovered with a Marine Sonic Side Scan Sonar during the
summer of 1995. Capt John Lachenmayer and Dan Berg were scanning known shipwreck
sites and decided to check out a set of hag numbers. Within only a few minutes
they had the image of a small shipwreck on the sonar. By measuring the image and
triangulating the length of the images shadow the computer reported that the
wreck was only 40 feet long and had only 2 feet of relief.
Latter that summer John and Dan along with a film crew from the Dive Wreck
Valley television series decided to return to the wreck and take a closer look. What they found was the partial remains of a much larger vessel. The wreck
appears to be only the bow section of a wooden sailing ship. Divers found two
walk around capstans, four double posted bits, two hawser holes a winch, pile of
anchor chain and a huge fluted anchor with wooden cross member. The team also
found an assortment of brass spikes, a single hole dead eye and a large hand
operated bilge pump. By analyzing the u/w video
Dan has speculated that the
wreck went down in the late 1800's. The size of her anchor and winch indicate a
vessel over 200 feet long. The missing stern section, could possibly hold a clue
as to the wrecks identity, may have drifted quite a while before sinking. The
team hopes to return to the area with the side scan, locate the missing stern
section and identify the mystery shipwreck. Artist Dan Lieb utilized a rough
outline and u/w video to produce a detailed sketch of the Arnoff Wreck site.
Aqua Explorers also has produced a Dive Wreck Valley "Arnoff Video".
This wreck is very close to the Coal
Wreck which is the stern of a large wood vessel. A connection
between the two can not however be made as the Arnoff is brass pined and
the Coal wreck has iron fittings.
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Dan Berg and Mike McMeekin after their first dive to the Arnoff Shipwreck.
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Ed Jenny and Mike McMeekin display a brass pump recovered from the shipwreck.
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Capt. Dan and Mike McMeekin used the Wreck Valley to pull this artifact free from the shipwreck.
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Side Scan sonar image of the Arnoff Shipwreck. Copyright Dan Berg.
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Capt. Dan Berg with a single hole dead eye (Heart eye) recovered from the Arnoff Shipwreck.
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Divers Ed Jenny, Gerard Lang, Capt. Rick Schwarz and Mike McMeekin were among the first divers from the charter boat Wreck Valley to visit this wreck.
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