Navy Ship Being Sunk in Florida Keys

Newsday ^ | May 17, 2002 | SABRA AYRES

[Willie Green]

KEY LARGO, Fla. -- A retired Navy ship is embarking on a second career as an artificial reef, and eager residents of the biggest island in the Florida Keys are anticipating a major boost to the tourism industry as a result.

The 510-foot Spiegel Grove was to be loaded with explosives Friday and sunk 130 feet into the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, creating the largest artificial reef in the world, marine biologists said.

[FreeInWV]

There are pics here.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

A handsome boat.

[PogySailor]

Road trip!

[Willie Green]

ping to a Navy vet.

Use as an artificial reef seems an honorable fate for some ships.
Can't turn 'em all into floating museums.
And I sure wouldn't want to see 'em cut up and melted
in Indonesia to be reimported from China as a Huffy bicycle.
I suppose Naval target practice is another practical use.
But as necessary as that may be, it always
left me with an uneasy feeling as being not quite right.

Here's to all who served aboard the Spiegel Grove during her many years of service!

[dwilli]

I was trying to catch up with my landing group and was choppered to the USS Spielel Grove TAD in the early seventies. I remainded on board until we joined up with USS Nashville, on which my home squadron was embarked. I served on probably 10 - 12 different amphibs during my service. Never did I experience the pure filth on another vessel found on the Spiegel Grove. The mess decks seemed clean but the rest of the ship was plain old nasty.

[homeschool mama]

ping

[Willie Green]

Never did I experience the pure filth on another vessel found on the Spiegel Grove. The mess decks seemed clean but the rest of the ship was plain old nasty.

Even if true, that's quite a discourteous comment to make on this occasion.

Have you always been so ill-mannered?

[texas booster]

The ship was going to be sunk at 2:00 EST. It looks like that the ship sunk prematurely. No details on what happened, but the website reports that all workers evacuated safely.

[varon]

Never did I experience the pure filth on another vessel found on the Spiegel Grove.

The filth is not a reflection on the ship as it is of her crew.

[Texas_Jarhead]

That's a good size vessel. Should make for some good diving. I dove the 200 ft Coast Gaurd cutter and a 300ft cargo ship that are already sunk a few years ago. It was great. Saw a couple of huge Jew fish, I mean huge.

[NormsRevenge]

These guys get over 300 pounds ! WoW!

[PogySailor]

Saw a couple of huge Jew fish, I mean huge.

Gasp! You used the non-PC name for the "Goliath Grouper". < /sarcasm >

Goliath Grouper

[NormsRevenge]

DUMP DAVI$

[FreeInWV]

Last time I was down there, I saw this guy. Sorry its not a better pic, but thats all the closer I wanted to get.

[notfondajane]

It sunk but is upside down -- bummer!

[tracer]

It would have been easier to just change the name of the ship....

[tracer]

That's right. Blame it on the Jew fish....... 8~)

[Poohbah]

She also starred in David Poyer's novel, The Med, which is a very good read. Poyer's novels about the Navy are required reading for midshipman at Annapolis.

[dighton]

That's right. Blame it on the Jew fish....... 8~)