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Lemuel Burrows "The Collier"
 East of, Ocean City, NJ
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Max Depth: 71-80ft/22-24m
Average Viz: 21-25ft/6-8m
Entry Type: Boat
Bottom Composition: Sand
Aquatic Life: Plenty To See
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Rating: 3.00 by 1 divers
Summer: 71-75°F/22-24°C
Winter: Under 50°F/10°C
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Lemuel Burrows "The Collier" is a boat accessible salt water dive site, located at East of, Ocean City, NJ. This dive site has an average rating of 3.00 out of 5 from 1 scuba divers. The maximum depth is 71-80ft/22-24m. The average visibility is 21-25ft/6-8m.
This is a non-intact cargo vessel of the type collier named the Lemuel Burrows. She was sunk at 2:00am on March 3, 1942 by the German U-boat U-404. She was running under blackout conditions within site of Atlantic City when she was hit by the first torpedo. Captain Clark immediately ordered abandon ship, but many seamen lost their lives when she was hit by two more torpedoes, destroying the lifeboats and sinking the ship. She was the first ship known to be sunk by three torpedoes on the American Coast. Only 14 men were rescued, 20 seamen lost their lives on that day.
The Collier is a great wreck to visit. The nooks and crannies of it’s rubble makes for a great home for lobsters and fish. Several very large tautogs and sea bass have been seen near the boilers. Definitely one of the better inshore wrecks for fishing and diving.
From Atlantic Divers website: Today the Lemuel Burrows remains one of the largest vessels sunk off the coast. The bow section rises off the sand forming a passage way where divers can follow anchor winch back to a higher relief area where engine parts, boilers and gigantic machinery creates holes to explore. Much destruction from the torpedoes is evident, but the vastness of this wreck allows great traversing over hull plates and recognizable structure in the stern. The shaft alley runs the length of the stern allowing easy navigation. In the late eighties Atlantic Divers recovered the brass letters positively identifying the wreck.