War Ship To Become Artificial Reef

A former United States World War II ship will become the second largest sunken ship reef once it takes its final resting place in the sea. The ship, called the Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenberg, is 17,000 tons and 523 feet long. The ship is expected to be sunk in Key West, Florida on May 27, 2009.

The ship is expected to draw in large numbers of tourists, as previous artificial ship reefs have in the past. The USS Oriskany is the largest intentional ship reef and has brought in millions of revenue for towns near Pensacola Beach, Florida. The USS Oriskany is about three football fields long.

In addition to drawing in tourists, the ship is also expected to help protect natural reefs in the Keys’ area. The reefs have been plagued by warming oceans, excessive fishing and increased diving and snorkeling. The ship will attract people away from other areas in addition to attracting fish as well. This will benefit the other reefs by giving them a chance to recover or at the very least see a slow-down in diving and snorkeling.

The total cost of the project is expected to be around $8.6 million, which includes obtaining the ship to the cleaning of it. In order to ensure the ship is safe to purposely place in the ocean, the ship was taken to Norfolk, Virginia shipyards to remove contaminants. Overall, there was a staggering array of harmful substances removed from the ship. The list of contaminants included: 81 bags of asbestos, 193 tons of potential cancer-causing substances, a million feet of wire, 46 tons of garbage, 300 pounds of items containing mercury and lastly, 185 55-gallon drums of paint chips.

The Key Largo and Key West area is known for its many accidentally sunken ships, which are estimated to exist every 300 yards. The addition of the Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenberg is expected to serve as the main attraction amongst the wrecks. Organizers hope the ship will draw in about $8 million per year in tourism, which would cover all the costs of the project in a little over a year.