The Vandenberg Swims with the Fishes

Wednesday, May 27, 2009, the USS Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenberg was scuttled seven miles off Key West. The ship will now be used as an artificial reef. This will help marine life by creating new underwater habitat where fish populations can thrive.

The event brought many boaters who were eager to see the pre-rigged explosive charges detonate. Then to watch the ship sink into the depths of the Atlantic Ocean. My friends and I were among them.

We loaded up our boat with food and headed out to the open water bright and early Wednesday morning. The boat ride out to Key West was amazing. The sky was brilliant-blue and the water was (mostly) smooth.

We were allowed to anchor 1 mile out from the ship. As we waited for the explosive charges to be detonated, we were entertained by the captains on the marine radio playing and talking about what they could see.

Finally, around 10 am, the explosive charges were detonated, the ship was covered in smoke, and then it was gone. In the span of about 2 minutes, the USS Vandenberg was sunk. One of these days I plan to take my dive gear out to visit the ship in its new home.

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Information obtained from: The Key West Weekend Keynoter