The former American aircraft carrier USS Oriskany has been sunk off Florida, making it the world's largest artificial reef.

The 271m-long, 32,000-ton ship was sent to the bottom 24 miles off Pensacola, at the western end of Florida about 160 miles east of New Orleans.

The wreck lies in 65m of water, which may sound deep for the average sport scuba diver. However, if the ship settled bolt upright, divers will be touching down on its superstructure in just 19m at mean low water.

After the detonation of 22 charges by demolition experts, the giant, rust-streaked grey hulk took just over half an hour to sink, going down stern first. Spectators aboard hundreds of boats, surrounding the carrier at a mile's distance, included many former servicemen connected with the vessel.

The USS Oriskany, which could accommodate 3460 crew and 80 aircraft, was launched in 1950 and saw action in the Korean and Vietnam wars. It was also among the American fleet deployed during the Cuban missile crisis of 1962.

The ship was decommissioned in 1976 and is the first of a number of old vessels that the US Navy plans to sink as artificial reefs and diving attractions rather than to break up for scrap.

To that end, the Navy has financed the bulk of costs. Just over $13 million covered the scuttling plus years of preparatory work including the removal of toxic materials and disassembly of the mast and other protrusions prone to snagging nets.

Diving access has been carefully thought out, with some parts of the ship closed off where the risk of entrapment was of concern. Items inside the ship that could snag or damage diving equipment have been removed.

The Navy spent a further $3 million on berthing and towing, and has funded ongoing risk assessment studies on sinking ships as artificial reefs, in line with its plan to donate more decommissioned vessels to marine life and the sport diving leisure industry.

Florida State University has calculated that the wreck of the USS Oriskany could boost local tourism revenues by $92 million a year.

Related links
Oriskany website http://www.ussoriskany.com


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