THE GEN. HOYT S. VANDENBERG AT A GLANCE :
The ship is 520 feet long, 13,300 tons,100 feet tall at its highest peak.
The keel will lie on sand and hardbottom at 140 feet. The 10 by 30 feet crow's nest platform and the dish antennas will be only 40 feet from the surface. Most of the deck structures will be at 50 to 90 feet. Seven by 10 foot holes will offer access to the top four decks. Eighteen stair towers, elevator shafts and cargo hold shafts will offer vertical access.
A new marine life habitat this ship will be the most spectacular artificial reef ever prepared especially for diving. There will be plenty of very divable structure at depths of 40 to 140 feet. Shallow structures include the 30 by 10 foot crows nest, perfect for beginning dive classes, the great 40 foot dish antennas, and the tops of the bridge and communications center.
The 25 foot tall rudder and prop will be a fantastic deep dive at 140 feet. The four open decks at approximately 70-100 feet will be penetrated horizontally with 8 by 10 foot openings on each side, and vertical elevator shafts, cargo holds and stair towers. The vast structure will teem with marine life, inside and out.
The 25 foot tall rudder and prop will be a fantastic deep dive at 140 feet. The four open decks at approximately 70-100 feet will be penetrated horizontally with 8 by 10 foot openings on each side, and vertical elevator shafts, cargo holds and stair towers. The vast structure will teem with marine life, inside and out.
Following an 1,100-mile voyage and more than a decade of planning and acquring funding resources, the Florida Keys newest artificial reef, the ex-military missile tracking ship Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenberg arrived in Key West Wednesday.
The Vandenberg is docked behind the USS Mohawk, at the East Quay Wall in Truman Annex Harbor.
Final preparations to sink the ship is beginning. Project organizers said the scuttling should take place sometime between May 20 and June 1, about six miles south of Key West in 140 feet of water in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.
That work primarily involves the cutting of hundreds of large holes on the ship’s decks and sides to help ensure the vessel sinks in an upright position.
Public tours of the Vandenberg will not be allowed due to safety concerns, but people can see the ship at Truman Waterfront while it is docked at the East Quay wall.
A security fence will prohibit onlookers from getting too close to the ship, but there will be plenty of viewing access, said Key West city spokeswoman Alyson Crean.
Sometime before June 1, the same procession of tugboats will lead the Vandenberg back out of Key West's main ship channel and to a location about six miles offshore.
Once in position, and held there with more than 30 tons of steel anchors, the Vandenberg will make its final voyage -- 140 feet to the bottom of the ocean.
The Vandenberg is docked behind the USS Mohawk, at the East Quay Wall in Truman Annex Harbor.
Final preparations to sink the ship is beginning. Project organizers said the scuttling should take place sometime between May 20 and June 1, about six miles south of Key West in 140 feet of water in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.
That work primarily involves the cutting of hundreds of large holes on the ship’s decks and sides to help ensure the vessel sinks in an upright position.
Public tours of the Vandenberg will not be allowed due to safety concerns, but people can see the ship at Truman Waterfront while it is docked at the East Quay wall.
A security fence will prohibit onlookers from getting too close to the ship, but there will be plenty of viewing access, said Key West city spokeswoman Alyson Crean.
Sometime before June 1, the same procession of tugboats will lead the Vandenberg back out of Key West's main ship channel and to a location about six miles offshore.
Once in position, and held there with more than 30 tons of steel anchors, the Vandenberg will make its final voyage -- 140 feet to the bottom of the ocean.
