Aircraft carrier sunk in Gulf of Mexico
5/18/2006, 6:00 a.m. ET
By MELISSA NELSON
The Associated Press
IN THE GULF OF MEXICO (AP) ââ"šÂ¬Ã¢â‚¬Â It took just 37 minutes for the 888-foot USS Oriskany to slip beneath the waves of the Gulf of Mexico.
As hundreds of veterans looked on solemnly, the Navy blew holes in the retired aircraft carrier Wednesday, sending vessel to the bottom of the sea and creating the world's largest manmade reef.
The rusted hulk became completely submerged about 4 1/2 hours faster than predicted, after more than 500 pounds of plastic explosives went off with bright flashes of light and clouds of brown and gray smoke.
Korean and Vietnam War veterans aboard a flotilla of 300 charter boats watched from beyond a one-mile safety perimeter as the "Mighty O" went down in 212 feet of water, about 24 miles off Pensacola Beach.
Lloyd Quiter of North Collins, N.Y., who served four tours on the ship in Vietnam, played the attention-all-hands signal on his boatswain's pipe and wept.
"I'm a little stunned. It's a little hard to take," he said.
After the blasts, an acrid smell hung in the air near the ship. The carrier went down stern first, the bow lifting up into the air and creating a giant spray of water as it came down. The blue ocean churned a foamy white as the deck ââ"šÂ¬Ã¢â‚¬Â bright orange with rust ââ"šÂ¬Ã¢â‚¬Â slid under. Hundreds of surrounding boats blew their horns in tribute.
The Oriskany (pronounced oh-RISK-uh-nee) became the first vessel sunk under a Navy program to dispose of old warships by turning them into diving attractions teeming with fish and other marine life.
Over the years, other ships have been turned into reefs, including the warship USS Spiegel Grove, a cargo vessel that was scuttled in 2002 off Key Largo. But that was a civilian project, paid for with a combination of county and private money.
The Oriskany, commissioned in 1950 and named after an American Revolutionary War battle, saw duty during the Korean War and was home to John McCain when the Navy pilot and future senator served in Vietnam. It was also among the ships used by President Kennedy in a show of force during the 1962 Cuban missile crisis. It was decommissioned in 1976.
McCain was shot down over Hanoi in 1967 after taking off from the Oriskany and was held as a prisoner of war for five years.
"It was a small, old carrier that fought very valiantly, and I'm very proud to have been a part of the air wing that served with great courage and distinction," McCain told CNN on Wednesday.
McCain said he had hoped the ship would be turned into a museum, but the artificial reef will "provide a lot of recreation and a lot of good times for people."
The $20 million sinking was delayed for nearly two years by hurricanes and environmental permitting problems. The ship will not be open to recreational divers until at least Friday, so that Navy divers can explore the wreck and check for hazards.
The Environmental Protection Agency in February approved the sinking of the ship, which had toxins in its electrical cables, insulation and paint. EPA officials said the toxins will slowly leach out over the estimated 100 years it will take the carrier to rust away, and should pose no danger to marine life.
Marine wildlife experts planned to monitor the water.
Local leaders hope the reef brings a long-awaited economic infusion from sport divers and fishermen. A 2004 Florida State University study estimated Escambia County would see $92 million a year in economic benefits from an artificial reef.
