Miami-Dade wants Oriskany as reef [Toko-Ri/McCain Carrier to be sunk]

Miami Herald ^

[AppyPappy]

Miami-Dade wants Oriskany as reef Ship would be largest vessel deliberately sunk BY SUSAN COCKING scocking@herald.com

Move over, Spiegel Grove! The largest vessel deliberately deployed as an artificial reef soon might slip to the No. 2 position.

Miami-Dade County officials, dive operators and tourism promoters have their sights set on the 888-foot-long retired U.S. Navy aircraft carrier Oriskany, currently tied to the dock at Beaumont, Texas. They plan to raise $1 million to sink the ship in deep water somewhere off Miami-Dade in April.

''Recreational diving is a huge business,'' said Stephen O'Neal of Ecosat, who is spearheading the project. ``We believe people will come to Miami to dive the Oriskany. Yes, artificial reefs are about fishing and recreational diving, but they are also about ecotourism and economic growth.''

USS Oriskany is more than 300 feet longer than the Spiegel Grove, a 510-foot-long retired U.S. Navy landing ship dock that was sunk 6 miles off Key Largo last year. Even more than its predecessor, Oriskany's massive superstructure and multiple decks would create habitat for all sorts of fish and marine life. But it would pose hazards for divers who try to penetrate it.

[AppyPappy]

Supposedly, this carrier was involved in the "Bridge at Toko-Ri" Raid in Korea and John McCain flew off this carrier.

[Support Free Republic]

We Salute Free Republic's Donors! Be one!
	Donate Here By Secure Server Or mail checks to FreeRepublic , LLC PO BOX 9771 FRESNO, CA 93794 or you can use PayPal at Jimrob@psnw.com
STOP BY AND BUMP THE FUNDRAISER THREAD- It is in the breaking news sidebar!

[AppyPappy]

ping

[onyx]

Your right on both accounts. Plus, the Oriskany was mentioned in the film "Top Gun."

[Billthedrill]

Not the old "O-boat"! They used her for years as a training carrier. Whole lot of Naval aviators passed over, and on, and through her...

Well, I'm all for the plowshares into swords thingy and this sort of thing is spectacular in Truk, but there is the half-a-century-worth-of-oil issue. The Arizona's still a-leakin'...

[onyx]

"You're" --- I'm not stewpid.

[wordsofearnest]

Do you not pump it out first?

[holyh2o]

I would think so, maybe will attract some Japanese groupers..possible ancesters of sunken Jap navy...

[Billthedrill]

No way to get it all. If you've never been aboard one you simply wouldn't believe the size and complexity of the engineering systems on a carrier. That's even off the drawing board - over time, they evolve almost like a living system, and nobody knows where all the nooks and crannies are. Stories abound of entire machine shops disappearing for years because somebody put a bulkhead in the wrong place.

When they dry-docked the Midway in Japan a few years ago they pulled out enough copper cable to (1) make the smart Japanese contractor who won the bid to dispose the stuff a millionaire, and (2) thoroughly screw up the weight and balance and the righting arm of the entire ship. I saw an entire drydock full of the stuff. And that was just the extra that nobody knew what to do with...

[Jotmo]

I’ll be diving in Seattle next week, and I’d love to be able to dive on an Aircraft Carrier.

I don't care for this sealing up the ship bisiness. If I choose to dive inside a wreck, (Generally not a good idea, but can be done.) I’m willing to accept the responsibility for what happens. Think how easy you could get lost and not be able to find your way out. But there are people who do that kind of diving all the time.

Still would be great fun though. I hope the can pull it off.