Miami Herald, The (FL)

March 1, 2000

FUNDING SOUGHT TO SINK SHIP FOR REEF

LISA FUSS, lfuss@herald.com

A nonprofit group is looking for support - and the money - to sink what would be the largest ship used to create an artificial reef in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.
Artificial Reefs of the Keys president Joe Weatherby conducted a press conference Tuesday in Key West, hoping to draw public support and financial backing for the project, which involves sinking the decommissioned 1944 warship Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenberg.
Two ships were intentionally sunk in the sanctuary - Ocean Freeze near Biscayne National Park and Adolphus Busch off Summerland Key. A third, the Spiegel Grove, is in the final scuttling stages and is awaiting approval from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency before it can be sunk off Key Largo.
Weatherby, a longtime local dive boat captain, plans to begin the permitting process through the City of Key West in coming weeks and campaigning for the $2 million necessary to clean, tow and scuttle the 553-foot, 13,000-ton vessel. He has only a few hundred dollars in the bank to put toward the project now, but Weatherby says he expects the donations, grants and sponsorships to start rolling in once the public is aware of its proposed intent.
The ship, docked in James River, Va., and not in use, would serve as an artificial reef for environmental, educational and recreational diver use in 140 feet of water between Western Sambos Ecological Reserve and Sand Key. The ship's superstructure would reach up to depths of 40 to 50 feet, making it available to novice divers, while the bottom half would provide a challenge for advanced divers.
Weatherby dove the proposed site, which was selected by sanctuary officials, and insists the current-free, clear, blue water and 60- to 80-foot visibility there could facilitate the study and monitoring of reef development. Not only has the sanctuary lent its support to the project, Weatherby says, but Florida Keys Community College would incorporate an ongoing reef monitoring program into its marine education classes.
While sanctuary regulations prohibit the alteration of sea beds, as well as the depositing of materials into sanctuary waters, permits to create artificial reefs are allocated on a case-by-case basis, said Cheva Heck, spokeswoman for the sanctuary.
Sanctuary officials are interested in research on artificial reefs, making projects such as the Vandenberg appealing in the approval process. Heck expects the sanctuary to hold off on approving any further artificial reefs, however, until ``there is evidence as to what the effects are.''
Weatherby said the U.S Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration owns the Vandenberg and plans to donate the ship if a permit is obtained and enough money is raised to support the project. Resource Control Corporation of Rancocas, N.J., will take charge of the technical and regulatory aspects of the project, including the cleaning, towing and scuttling of the vessel.
A fund-raiser has been planned for April 28, but a site for it has yet to be determined, Weatherby said. In the meantime, he intends to start touting the project to whoever will listen.
``This is not about toilets, car bodies or shopping carts here,'' Weatherby said. ``This is going to be a big-time educational thing. We're not proposing to put the ship down there and have some scientist go down there once a year to check on it. It's going to be a working science project that will enable students to observe the underwater landscape and habitat for marine life. It's going to be more than just a dive.''
For more information on the Vandenberg, or to contact Weatherby, check out Artificial Reefs of the Keys' Web site, www.bigshipwrecks.com.