Choapa
Freighter · Chile · Lost 1944 · The New Jersey Coast
A Chilean freighter caught in a chain-reaction wartime collision at anchor, now resting intact in the deep, silty New Jersey Mud Hole.
Become Captain of RecordSee Shipwreck on Map
The Vessel and Her Loss
The Choapa, a Chilean-flagged freighter, was struck while at anchor by the tanker British Harmony in September 1944, then further struck by the freighter Voco and the tanker Empire Garrick in the same incident. She sank with no casualties and today lies intact in the Mud Hole, an area of deep, silt-laden water off the Sandy Hook approaches. The wreck is rarely dived due to depth, darkness, and heavy net entanglement.
Vessel
- 1937
- Not established
- England
- Steel
- 292 ft
- 41 ft
- 1700
- Steam, single screw
- Not established
Loss
- September 21, 1944
- Collision
- Off Sandy Hook / Shark River, New Jersey, in the Mud Hole
- Atlantic Ocean
- Not established
- Not established
- 67
- 0
- Not established
The Wreck Today
- 160-205
- Lies intact in one piece in the Mud Hole
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
Position
- 40.22° N 73.74° W
- Approximate position
- Shark River Inlet, New Jersey
Evidence
Overall confidence: Partially documented (65/100)
The vessel's precise cargo and full identifying registry details at the time of loss are not established in the sources reviewed.
Vessel history, dimensions, collision sequence, depth.
Brad Sheard, underwater photography archive
Wreck condition and diving context.
