Ex-City of Baltimore fireboat Mayor J. Harold Grady (left photo) and World War II-era US Maritime Administration tugboat TD-21 were deployed today by the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife on Reef Site 11 of Delaware’s acclaimed artificial reef system. /DNREC photos

WWII-era U.S. Maritime Administration Tugboat TD-21 and ex-City of Baltimore Fireboat J. Harold Grady Become Latest Additions to State’s Renowned Artificial Reef System

The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control continued to diversify marine habitat for angling and diving experiences on Delaware’s renowned artificial reef system today by sinking two vintage vessels – a retired City of Baltimore fireboat and a World War II-era tugboat – onto Reef Site 11, known as the Redbird Reef because it also hosts – and boasts – more than 700 retired and repurposed New York City “Redbird” subway cars.

The two boats sunk today by the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife – a World War II-era tug known as MARAD (US Maritime Administration) TD-21 and the ex-City of Baltimore fireboat Mayor J. Harold Grady – went down at approximately 10:22 a.m. EDT at longitudinal and latitudinal coordinates of 38.40.457/74.42.961 at a depth of 75 feet and the tug TD-21 was sunk at about 11:25 a.m. EDT at coordinates of  38.40.427/74.43.073 in 80 feet of water.

“Our giving these boats a continued existence as reef deployments cultivating marine life while providing recreational fishing and diving opportunities also pays tribute to what they once were, when they served our country’s maritime and public safety needs,” said DNREC Secretary Shawn M. Garvin. “And every trip out to Reef Site 11 for anglers and divers can bring reflections harking back to their service when afloat.”

The Mayor J. Harold Grady – named for Baltimore’s sitting mayor when commissioned in 1960 – was one of three Baltimore fireboats built that year by Jakobson Shipyard in Oyster Bay, L.I. and was among the most modern and well-equipped fireboats of its time, with a pumping capacity of 6,000 gallons of water per minute. Spanning 86 feet, Grady – width 20 feet, depth 14’, and top speed of 15 mph – would later distinguish itself during Baltimore’s inner harbor fire of 1968 – and stay in service until 2007.

The tug MARAD TD-21 was one of 100 steel-hulled 86-foot-long boats built for the Defense Plant Corporation in 1943 for domestic use on a wartime footing – the 21^st of 37 tugs of the same specs built at George Lawley & Son Shipyard in Neponset, Mass. All of them carried a crew of nine and were relied on to maneuver domestic shipping safely and securely in and out of American ports during the last years of World War II.

Today’s sinkings were carried out by Norfolk, Va.-based marine contractor Coleen Marine, which has handled numerous reef deployments over the DNREC reef program’s existence at many of Delaware’s 14 permitted artificial reef sites. As with all the ships and other vessels and military vehicles DNREC has deployed onto the artificial reef system, the Mayor J. Harold Grady and tug MARAD TD-21 were sunk only after having been certified for environmental cleanliness and safety under auspices of the

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Coast Guard, which also cordoned off the area and observed the twin sinking today. The DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife, which oversees the reef program, invested $180,000 in federal Sport Fish Restoration funds to buy the two boats sunk today from Coleen Marine after both ships settled onto the Redbird Reef.

As the newest additions to Delaware’s artificial reef program, the TD-21 tug and the Mayor J. Harold Grady join a bottom-riding armada of ocean-, Chesapeake Bay- and harbor-going vessels on the Redbird Reef. Many other ships of commercial fishing and military service – namely the destroyer ex-USS Arthur W. Radford, at 585 feet the longest ship reefed on the Atlantic Coast – reside on the Delaware-led Del-Jersey-Land Artificial Reef, so called because it is roughly equidistant from ports of departure in each of the three states the reef’s name entails. The Del-Jersey-Land reef trails only the Redbird Reef in popularity for anglers and divers among Delaware’s 14 permitted reef sites.

Covering 1.3 square miles of ocean floor, other Redbird Reef dwelling vessels include a former floating casino Texas Star; a 215-foot-long Chesapeake Bay cruise ship; 86 retired U.S. Army tanks and armored vehicles, eight tugboats, a fishing trawler and two barges. All told, Delaware’s artificial reef system is also home to more than 1,350 retired New York City subway cars that have been a mainstay for attracting fish to the reef system over the last two decades.

More information about Delaware’s artificial reef program can be found on the DNREC website and in the 2024 Delaware Reef Guide.

About DNREC
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control protects and manages the state’s natural resources, protects public health, provides outdoor recreational opportunities and educates Delawareans about the environment. The DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife conserves and manages Delaware’s fish and wildlife and their habitats, and provides fishing, hunting, wildlife viewing and boating access on nearly 68,000 acres of public land owned or managed by the Division of Fish and Wildlife. For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly known as Twitter) or LinkedIn. 

Media Contacts: Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov; Joanna Wilson, joanna.wilson@delaware.gov

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