WWII War Ship Now an Artificial Reef in the Florida Keys

Three minutes was all it took for a 17,000 ton hunk of metal to sink 140 feet to the bottom of the sea seven miles off Florida’s Key West. The 523-foot-long Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenberg, a rusting World War II-era relic that once tracked Soviet missile launches during the Cold War, will now act as a giant artificial reef that local officials hope will help draw in tourists and provide a save haven for marine life.

From MSNBC:

They expected the wreck would be an immediate underwater draw for divers, while at the same time attracting fish, corals and other sea creatures and so relieving the pressure on Key West’s natural reefs caused by diving, boating and fishing.

“Divers like wrecks, fish like wrecks. The Vandenberg will have a great profile underwater,” said Sheri Lohr, a retired dive shop owner involved in the Vandenberg sinking project.

Before it was sunk, the Vandenberg was cleansed of contaminants, such as asbestos, wiring, paint and other potentially toxic substances and debris, to prevent it from damaging the ecology of the ocean floor in its new life.

So it’s not a real shipwreck, but it’ll still be quite a striking sight for divers. If people are going to be disturbing marine life for recreation, it’s better for them to do it at an artificial reef than in the midst of fragile natural ecosystems. It’ll be no time at all before this ship is packed full of a dazzling array of sea creatures, and it’s certainly a better fate than rotting in a shipyard.

Link [MSNBC]
Photo credit: BigShipwrecks.com

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