Untitled Document

Miami Herald, The (FL)
April 28, 2000
Section: Keys
Edition: Keys
Page: 1B

SHIP MAY FORM REEF
JENNIFER BABSON, jbabson@herald.com
City commissioners are expected to give the green light Tuesday to a project that would create a mammoth new artificial reef 6 1/2 miles south of Key West.
At its regular meeting, the panel will decide whether the city should apply for environmental permits to sink the decommissioned 1944 warship Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenberg in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. The 2,800-nautical-square-mile sanctuary stretches from Biscayne National Park to the Dry Tortugas, 70 miles west of Key West.
The 13,000-ton ship would be the largest vessel ever intentionally scuttled for use as an artificial reef. It is named after one of the pioneers of American military aviation and was used to ferry American troops from the Philippines after World War II. The Vandenberg also provided a prominent backdrop for the recent film Virus.
The sanctuary, which helped pick a site for the reef, plans to place a moratorium on others until they have an opportunity to study the effects of artificial reefs on marine life.
``This is one of four already in process that we are going to allow to go forward,'' said Cheva Heck, spokeswoman for the sanctuary. ``We are probably not going to permit any more for a while.''
The 553-foot relic would be used for recreational dives 40 to 120 feet deep - meaning both novices and more seasoned divers would be able to use it. In addition, Florida Keys Community College plans to incorporate the site into its marine sciences program.
``One thing it will do is it might take some pressure off the natural reef,'' said Key West Mayor Jimmy Weekley, who is pressing for the project. ``It will be such a new attraction that more divers would be inclined to dive at the ship than at out on the natural reef.''
Artificial Reefs of The Florida Keys, a nonprofit group, is lobbying for the ship to be relocated from the Virginia shipyard where it has languished for years.
The group has pledged to make sure the ship meets eligibility requirements for any permits the city agrees to seek. Before the ship is relocated, it will undergo extensive decontamination.
``We are hoping to do it in the next 12 months,'' said Artificial Reefs President Joe Weatherby. The local dive boat captain is also trying to raise the estimated $2 million it will cost to ready the ship for the reef.
To do that, Weatherby has enlisted the assistance of a New Jersey-based company, Resource Control Corp., which specializes in helping such projects meet strict state and federal environmental guidelines.
Local environmentalists say they have no problem with the vessel, as long as it receives a proper cleaning, doesn't chip off, and isn't placed too close to the fragile natural coral.
If the Vandenberg makes it south, it will join two other former warships that rest at the bottom of the sanctuary: Ocean Freeze near Biscayne National Park and Adolphus Busch off Summerland Key. Another ship, the Spiegel Grove, is awaiting federal approval to be moved to a site off Key Largo.
``At the end of the day, it's pretty cool,'' said Weatherby of the project. ``I think people like it.''