Unit Two: Sinking the Vandenburg

My blog entry is about the sinking of the Vandenburg ship. The Vandenburg was an old government ship that went out of commission in 1986. This wrecked ship was thought to be useless and probably recycled, but the city of Key West, Florida had a different idea. They purchased the Vandenburg and is now part of a project that will benefit their aquatic wildlife. What did they do with it?

Key West`s plan was to sink it and transform this old ship into a new, artificial reef for their aquatic environment. On May 27 charges were detonated to send the Vandenburg to its final home. It is the largest artificial reef in Florida, and the second largest in the world. The Vandenberg is now home to many reef fish and other aquatic plants and animals. Turning this old ship into an artificial reef was a good idea byKey West because the reefs of its city were a tourist attraction. Divers dive deep into the ocean to view the beautiful underwater scenery complimented by this sunken ship. "The main objective of the Vandenberg project is take the pressure of the natural reefs and provide additional habitat for sea life and create recreational fishing and scuba diving opportunities," said Bill Horn of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission.

I am very interested in this project because I think that the way they used the ship for was clever. They used the ship for exactly the opposite of what it was meant to be used for. The videos that they show of the ship underwater are fascinating and show a lot without having to actually travel to Key West, Florida. If I had the opportunity, I would love to see this for myself.

References:

http://www.sinkthevandenberg.com/

http://www.bigshipwrecks.com/

http://www.keywest.com/vandenberg/

http://keysnews.com/node/13156

http://www.underwatertimes.com/news.php?article_id=10461593702

http://diving-key-west.com/2009/07/vandenberg-artificial-reef

Comments:

http://dropsneakersnotbombs.blogspot.com/2010/10/preserve-rainforest.html?showComment=1287147842555_AIe9_BGaLzbUIfFyF1X7d8Rd8MSQzirNhuU1jVWbeLHda5DydHqyReBuy4UH1waXGzetIWTiCYUs7yt-VYf-yQm-p6OnEljG66lREIbfN9tyysJc2ryMpo-tGayLG7RwV1aXOcbnd581luTMpDIMj_VVwPQcjqYAmmkOyJW1x39fUDRacj1OGShD6ersWUZuI9cUHuLnuCymGYG1GHVQy5eucUV58wcNNFo2e8DTCUHXY-4jfDR8Rrcu3d2USzm5GCEQv1_v2IzinanGytnzdlvxhPkumt2FBBux28bWqKAiZqH8OB3vgMaAjHqu7VWOvHT9Pf-dt22Zpr8k6w5S6TSaP-601ifudLvwPtrTfQxI_2OFek69zkfl4P-6rM9YTPkqquunBSQPVaahMyzDQU0zJ_uPUu7SxOn2Sr5fRdEt5VqHADEgto51sDlLvg2S5WHv0htoHB9ugQ336v33OJCq2vh8ASV3kJWffZh09HZDQwTT1U7IvtJ0M_iMhwowQsx0LtHwqkclUEEV_hVNdZkOXcRGYEb8XQmA6gmDcO37PEzuL8SZWQJh0UdVEQHX5VDMnSMl5vPdNG5RFbbLHBQ7wqT_WPeSMkdP-uZcQAucThbZL_5FtOo#c3442931906996970559

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