Artificial Reef Project Oriskany may be sunk in May06

Posted Feb 14th 2006 9:00AM by Bill Reals
Filed under: Dive Sites, Stories, Beginners, Experts, Wreck, Boat, Atlantic

There are reports of some movement, finally, of the Oriskany Artificial Reef project. The 888ft Aircraft carrier, USS Oriskany, was slated to be sunk off of Pensacola as an artificial reef in mid-2005. It is the first U.S. warship to be slated for this purpose, it will also be the first aircraft carrier purposely sunk for an ariticial release.

She was scheduled to be scuttled 22 miles south of Pensacola in June 2005. However, due to delays in environmental studies that plan went into limbo and she was towed back, from the yard where she completed her cleanup, to a mothball yard in Beaumont, Texas, where she's been sitting ever since.

Now it seems that she could be sunk by Mid-May of 2006. This would be cool, you could do some seriously dives on this wreck, like flying through the hanger deck with my scooter or flying down the runway on my scooter.

Reader Comments

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1. Zooming down the runway with a scooter would be cool! And the photo opportunities would be amazing! My fingers are crossed.

Posted at 9:07AM on Feb 14th 2006 by Willy

2. Any info on the depth of the proposed site?

Posted at 11:28AM on Feb 14th 2006 by Dennis Festerling

3. "If all goes according to plan this summer, explosives will be placed throughout the largely hollowed-out shell of the USS Oriskany and it will plummet 210 feet to the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico."
http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/florida/news-article.aspx?storyid=51537

Doesn't that sound a little deep?

Posted at 11:42AM on Feb 14th 2006 by Willy

4. The plan is for 55 fsw to the highest part of the superstructure, and
the bottom will be at 210fsw.

Assuming the scuttling goes as scheduled, of course, and she goes
down upright.

Posted at 12:20PM on Feb 14th 2006 by Bill Reals

5. That is seriously impressive to have the top of a wreck at 55ft and the bottom at 210ft... huge variety of diving oppotunities... we need an aircraft carrier in Lake Michigan, I'll have to go ask for one! :)

Posted at 1:26PM on Feb 15th 2006 by Dennis Festerling

6. The depths are preliminary, she might settle a little in the sand as the Speigel Grove now has done, her props are completely burried.
In either case she will be an awesome dive and trourly a ship that can't be seen all in one dive (or trip).
We are ready to take people there as soon as the Navy and State of Florida gives the ok.
Check out http://www.diveMightyO.com for more and the latest info.
Looking forward to see you.

Posted at 10:21PM on Apr 29th 2006 by dive Mightyo Captain

7. I have to wonder if all the dive shops in the area are doing a bit of price fixing. Every web site I've visited or e-mail reply I received, all the shops quote $145 for a two tank dive on the USS Oriskany.

Posted at 9:32PM on May 11th 2006 by Rob Love

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