New Authority Provides Navy's Inactive Ships for Use

[darrels joy]

New Authority Provides Navy's Inactive
Ships for Use

From Naval Sea Systems Command Public Affairs

WASHINGTON (NNS) -- President Bush signed the National
Defense Authorization Bill (HR 1588 Sec 1013), Nov. 25,
allowing appropriate decommissioned ships to be donated for
use as artificial reefing.

Occasionally, the Navy uses unneeded ships as targets for
military exercises known as SINKEX or sinking exercises. There
is, however, another way these obsolete Navy vessels may serve
in a productive capacity for hundreds of years past their intended
use. It's called man-made, "artificial" reefing, which will help
promote marine life and fishing, and relieve pressures on natural,
"coral," reefs.

The new "reefing" authority signed by the President will allow the
Navy to accomplish the overall process for cost-effective
donation transfer of available naval vessels, which provides a
viable alternative for the Navy's Inactive Ships program under
the Naval Sea Systems Command, and MARAD (Maritime
Administration) under the Department of Transportation to
reduce their inventories of unneeded vessels.

"It is indeed good news that the Administration and Congress
have given the Navy the authority to donate ships for use as
artificial reefs," said Capt. Lawrence M. Jones Jr., program
manager, Navy Inactive Ships Program Office. The Navy is
looking forward to working in cooperation with MARAD to
provide an additional practical option for disposing of inactive
naval vessels."

The Navy's program objective is to reduce the size of the
inactive ships inventory in a cost-effective and environmentally
sound manner.

The Navy will accomplish the environmental remediation in
accordance with draft EPA Best Management Practices. Other
costs will be considered as part of the cost sharing proposals
from applicants for the towing and sinking of the ships.

MARAD will coordinate federal agency solicitation and
application for obtaining the vessels for use as artificial reefs. The
donation and transfer application for all Navy and MARAD
available ships for use as artificial reefs may be submitted only by
states, commonwealths, and territories and possessions of the
United States.

Municipal corporations or political subdivisions thereof, and
foreign countries, except that by Navy policy, are ineligible to
apply for and receive obsolete warships, defined as aircraft
carriers, battleships, cruisers, destroyers, frigates, and
submarines.

The Navy is currently accepting one application from each state
per vessel available for reefing. Additional applications from
within a state will still be accepted for other vessels that are
solicited.

The first warship offered for donation by the Navy for sinking as
an artificial reef is the ex-Oriskany (CVA 34). The evaluation
and selection of a donee is now in progress.