Final funding OK’d for ship
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BY ERIN MAGEE, emagee@keysreporter.com |
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The Key West City Commission has
voted 5-1 in favor of allocating $1.3 million to help create a major dive
attraction off the island city.
The
commission vote on Wednesday, Nov. 8. will provide the funds to clean and sink
the Vandenberg, a decommissioned Navy vessel that will become the largest
artificial reef in the Florida Keys.
According to Maritime Administration records, the
Vandenberg has been on a donation hold program since 1998.
The 520 foot, 14,300 ton ship was built in 1944 and titled
to the U.S. Navy as the General Harry Taylor. In 1962 it was renamed Hoyt S.
Vandenberg. But neither of these names are on the ship, Director of
Congressional and Public Affairs at the Maritime Administration, Shannon
Russell, said. In 1996 the ship was used in Universal Studio’s film “Virus” and
it still has a fictitious Russian name on its side.
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Russell said the Maritime
Administration works with non-profit groups such as Artificial Reefs of the
Keys to sink ships for artificial reefs. The Maritime Administration is
donating the Vandenberg to ARK, along with $1.25 million to help prepare it for
sinking.
Joe Weatherby, founder of ARK, said the Key West community
is supportive of ARK’s efforts. “The town wants this. The city wants this,” he
said. “We need it for our economy and for the environment. The benefits are
clear for Key West.”
Weatherby said that when the Oriskany was sunk 23 miles
off Pensacola in May 2006, tourism brought in $1 million in the first three
days. He believes the Vandenberg will be even more helpful for the Key West
economy.
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Now that his organization has the
$5.7 million needed to clean and sink the ship, Weatherby said they are working
to repay the city’s contribution.
ARK is auctioning the right to name the reef that will
grow on the Vandenberg site on eBay. The minimum bid is $900,000 with a reserve
of $1.3 million.
Weatherby said the Vandenberg will be moved from the James
River Reserve Fleet in Fort Eustis, Va., to Virginia Beach for cleaning and
preparation for sinking. The process will take 12-14 months. The goal is to
sink the ship in spring 2008.
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Weatherby said ARK gathered a team
of specialists — the Reefmakers — to carry out the sinking. He said they will
carefully place the ship 140 feet deep six miles off Key West, with the top of
the ship within 40 feet of the surface, making it ideal for both recreational
and technical divers.
According to ARK’s Web site, the Vandenberg site will be
used by classes at Florida Keys Community College and for research by the
Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.
Weatherby said that even though he’s had to wait a long
time for this outcome, he’s happy and relieved that the Vandenberg is finally
going to be sunk.
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More information about the Vandenberg project is available at www.bigshipwrecks.com.