WWII-era ship becomes sunken reef off Key West

[David]

AP


KEY WEST, Fla. – A ship last used by the U.S. Air Force to track missiles and spacecraft has been sunk in the Florida Keys, creating a new artificial reef for sport divers and anglers.

The Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenberg sank in less than two minutes Wednesday morning, after demolition experts triggered a series of explosives that lined the both sides of the ship.

Key West City Manager Jim Scholl says he believes the 17,000-ton, 523-foot-long ship settled on the bottom of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary in an upright position, but he was waiting for confirmation from divers.

The ship was first built as a cargo ship in World War II. Officials in the Florida Keys expect it to generate up to $8 million in tourism-related revenue, mostly from divers and related businesses.





In this photo released by the Florida Keys News Bureau, tugboats tow the decommissioned U.S. military missile-tracking Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenberg Tuesday, May 26, 2009, past the historic Custom House in Key West, Fla., to a point about seven miles south of the island city.





USNS GENERAL HOYT S. VANDENBERG (T-AGM-10) while still commisioned.



USNS GENERAL HOYT S. VANDENBERG (T-AGM-10)

[revwardoc]

Here's a video of the sinking.

YouTube - USS Vandenberg Sinking