The Dykes was originally built to carry bauxite ( aluminum ore ) from British Guyana ( in South America ) for ALCOA. That didn't work out well, and she was soon sold to a coal hauling firm, as most schooner barges were used. In 1935, the Dykes was sold again and converted to an unrigged sludge barge for New York City.   She continued in this service until she was retired in 1959. The Dykes was finally sunk by the state of New Jersey as an artificial reef in 1983. This actually predates the present Artificial Reef Program. The wreck lies slightly outside the official boundaries of the Sea Girt Artificial Reef.

The steel-hulled Dykes was one of the last and biggest five-masted schooners built. The wreck itself consists of a large area of iron ribs and hull plates, many of them a bright orange rust color. The bow and stern are somewhat intact, and even the hinges where the rudder was once attached are recognizable. In between, the ship has deteriorated. As the hull decayed, the sides splayed out, forming a much wider debris field than the original structure. There is still good relief against the clean sandy bottom, most of the structure averaging 4-6 ft in height.

Many fish and a few small lobsters make their homes here, and it is even possible to get decent mussels from the higher spots. Later in the season, schools of Jacks and Scup swarm around the bow, while fluke and really big blackfish and Sea Bass can be found around the edges of the debris field and in the maze of small compartments in the center of the wreck.  Lying as it does only 4 miles from the Manasquan River inlet, the Dykes makes a good second dive or a great dive for an intro to New Jersey wreck diving. It has unusually good visibility and negligible current for such a close-in site. However, despite its closeness to shore, this is a very big wreck and it is easy to get lost ( especially in the dark, ) so a wreck reel is strongly advised.