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USNS Hoyt S. Vandenberg To Be Sunk For a Reef

Posted by kdawson on from the give-reefs-a-chance dept.

caffiend666 writes "On Wednesday the USNS Hoyt S. Vandenberg is to be sunk in 140 feet of water off of Key West to become the world's second largest artificial reef. (The largest was created by sinking the aircraft carrier USS Oriskany off of Pensacola, Florida, in 2006.) The Vandenberg was built in 1943 (chronology) and commissioned the USS Gen. Harry Taylor. In 1963 the Air Force took it over and recommissioned it, naming it after the Air Force general. For decades the ship served as a missile tracker and space relay. It was used in NASA's Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo projects and the Shuttle program. The Vandenberg was the set for some of the scenes in the '90s movie Virus as the Russian MIR relay station. Soon it will become one of the world's most awesome diving spots."

3 of 169 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Excuse me, by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting
    In Wellington, New Zealand they sunk a frigate called the F69 to make a diving environment. The sinking was spectacular and the ocean tore it apart within a matter of months and now bits of it wash ashore and the water in the area is an off-colour.

    It is swimable though and it's not an unimpressive sight, but I hope the waters of the Key are less violent than that of Wellington, New Zealand.

  2. Good for fishes... by haeger · · Score: 5, Interesting

    ...not so much for fishermen.
    Where I'm at we try to sink ships like these (steel ships) on or near fish breeding grounds. This will accomplish two things. First it'll provide refuge for fish and second it'll discourage fishing there. Trawlers can't fish if there's a big ship there. The trawls will break if they try so most stay well clear of sites like this.

    Experts say that about 90% of all "large fish" are now gone so we need to do something about overfishing. This is "something" although not nearly enough.

    --
    You are not entitled to your opinion. You are entitled to your informed opinion. -- Harlan Ellison
  3. Re:Too deep... by Werkhaus · · Score: 5, Informative

    The recreational limit is 130 feet. So you won't be able to look at the very bottom of the hull.

    Unless you're trained by an agency that includes deeper and more adventurous diving. BSAC, for example, will certify experienced divers down to 55m on air. Decompression stops are introduced (although briefly) to entry-level divers and deco planning is an essential part of training.

    To put the depth in context, one of most popular wrecks, the SS President Coolidge sits at about 70m but there are dives available for all abilities. 45m seems about right for a wreck of this size and I look forward to diving it in a few years time.