Salvage crews off Florida's Gulf Coast were making final preparations Wednesday to sink the decommissioned aircraft carrier Oriskany, which was set to become the first US warship deliberately scuttled to form an artificial reef.
The 270-meter, 32,000-ton vessel had been towed about 37 kilometers from Pensacola into the Gulf of Mexico, where 22 explosive charges would send it to rest upright on the ocean floor at roughly 66 meters depth.
Navy officials estimated the 56-year-old ship would take around five hours to sink. Once submerged, the wreck is expected to draw coral growth, fish, scuba divers, and recreational fishermen.
The Oriskany served in both the Korean and Vietnam conflicts before being decommissioned in 1976. Crowds gathered along the shoreline to watch the ship's final departure, among them veterans who had served aboard her. "She's going to go down with a fight," said former crew member Andrew Stanislav.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in May 2006, in its own words.