New Home for Fish

In June 2005, the USS Oriskany, a 27,100-ton Ticonderoga class aircraft carrier, is scheduled to become the largest ship ever to be sunk for an artificial reef.

The 888-foot Oriskany was commissioned in 1950 and saw action in both the Korean and Vietnam Wars.  The ship was decommissioned in September 1976, and later sold.  But the government later bought back the carrier, as complications arose in the effort to scrap the vessel. 

The goal now is to sink the Oriskany, creating an artificial reef for marine life, commercial and sport fishing and recreational diving off the coast of Florida.  The exact sink date has yet not been established, as a review by the Environmental Protection Agency is pending.

The Navy has completed an 11-month remediation effort, which included removal of fuels and oils, loose asbestos-containing material, batteries, coolants, and liquid polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) components.

The ship was recently towed from Corpus Christi, TX, to Pensacola, FL. 

-- LiveScience Staff

Credit: Gary Nichols