Sinking ships for wreck diving sites

Sinking ships for wreck diving sites is the practice of scuttling old ships to produce artificial reefs suitable for wreck diving, to benefit from commercial revenues from recreational diving of the shipwreck, or to produce a diver training site.

To avoid undesirable ecological impact, and to maximise utility, the vessel should be selected and prepared, and the site chosen, with due consideration to the local environment.

Preparation

To prepare a hulk for sinking as a wreck site, several things must be done to make it safe for the marine environment and divers. To protect the environment, the ship is purged of all oils, hydraulic fluids, and dangerous chemicals such as PCBs. Much of the superstructure may be removed to prevent the hazard of it eventually caving in from corrosion. Similarly, the interior of the ship is gutted of components that corrode quickly, and would be dangerous to divers if they came loose. The ship is thoroughly cleaned, often with the help of volunteers interested in diving. A significant part of the cost of preparing and sinking the ship may be recovered from scrapping the contents of the ship, including valuable materials such as copper wiring. The hulk's suitability as a diving site may be enhanced by cutting openings in its hull and interior bulkheads, and removing doors and hatch covers to allow divers access at reduced risk.^{[citation needed]}

Choice of site

Several factors influence the choice of site for recreational diving purposes, and these should take into consideration the possibly conflicting economic and ecological considerations.

The wreck should not create a significant hazard to navigation.
For maximum accessibility and diver safety, a shallow site in protected waters is preferred.
- To reduce cost of access, the site should be near to a suitable harbour or launching site, in a region where existing or planned recreational diving infrastructure is available.
- There may be a conflict of interests between groups which may profit from access to the wreck.
Sites further offshore make shore dives impracticable or dangerous.
Deeper water reduces access to less qualified divers, but increases risk for all divers.
More protected waters reduce risk to all divers and increase the useful lifespan of the wreck as a diving attraction.
Placement of the wreck will do some ecological damage. An ecological impact assessment should indicate acceptable long term consequences.
The site will influence the marine organisms that will colonise the wreckage, and the rate at which they will grow. Some may be more desirable at a dive site than others.
The site will influence the rate of silt deposition in and on the wreckage, which will affect safety and the local ecology.

Sinking

The preparation phase usually removes a significant amount of weight, so the ship floats higher in the water than normal. This may make it necessary to stabilise the vessel by filling some compartments with water as makeshift ballast tanks to prevent excessive rolling in port or during towing. The ship is towed to the sinking location, usually in waters shallow enough to allow access by numerous divers, but deep enough to be relatively unaffected by surface weather conditions. The ship is usually scuttled using shaped explosives, in a controlled demolition. The holes may be blown so that the heavier engine room and stern floods first, then the rest of the hull. The aim is to sink the ship in an upright position.^{[citation needed]}

Reception

The sinking of ships as recreational dive sites can provide wreck diving opportunities where they previously did not exist, and can provide wrecks which are particularly suitable for penetration by less skilled and experienced divers, when they have been prepared for the purpose by removing potential hazards and contents which would contaminate the site or region. However, some divers see them as artificial, less interesting and less challenging, and prefer to explore the relatively unknown or mysterious surroundings of historic and significant wrecks which occurred outside planned scuttling events, considering them to be more authentic. Scuttling programs may relieve more culturally significant wreckage from overexploitation, particularly incidental damage by less competent divers, but do not remove the threat of illegal intentional damage by removal of artifacts by wreck-robbers, who will target wrecks where there are more likely to be artifacts worth stealing.^[1]

List of ships sunk for wreck diving

Ships sunk for wreck diving
Year	Vessel name	Location	Country/territory
2023	NRTL Kamenassa (P217)^[2]	K41	East Timor
2022	MT Hephaestus^[3]	Xatt l-Aħmar	Malta
2021	P33^[4]	Marsaskala	Malta
2018	HMAS Tobruk (L 50)	Queensland	Australia
2017	Fishing Trawler, Gal'Oz	Hertzliya, Israel	Israel
2017	USCGC Tamaroa (WMEC-166)	Cape May, New Jersey	United States
2016	Vis	Kamenjak, Istra	Croatia
2016	General Pereira D´Eça F477^[5]^[6]	Porto Santo, Madeira	Portugal
2015	ARM Uribe (P121)	Rosarito Beach, Baja California	Mexico
2015	USS Comstock ^{[citation needed]}	Checheng Township, Pingtung	Taiwan
2015	HMCS Annapolis^[7]	British Columbia	Canada
2014	MV Ærøsund ^{[citation needed]}	South Fionan Sea	Denmark
2014	HTMS Kledkaeo (AKS-861) ^{[citation needed]}	Phi Phi Islands	Thailand
2013	Tug No. 2	Sliema	Malta
2013	T11 Coastal Patrol Ship	Ko Chang	Thailand
2013	NRP Almeida Carvalho (A527)	Algarve	Portugal
2013	NRP Hermenegildo Capelo (F481)	Algarve	Portugal
2012	HTMS Chang, formerly USS Lincoln County	Ko Chang	Thailand
2012	NRP Zambeze (P1147)	Algarve	Portugal
2012	NRP Oliveira e Carmo (F489)	Algarve	Portugal
2012	HTMS Phetra (LCT-764)	Ko Man Nok	Thailand
2012	HTMS Mataphon (LCT-761)	Ko Larn	Thailand
2012	USCGC Mohawk	Lee County, Florida	United States
2011	USS Arthur W. Radford	Cape May, New Jersey	United States
2011	HTMS Sattakut (LCI-742)	Koh Tao	Thailand
2011	HTMS Prab (LCI-741)	Chumphon	Thailand
2011	HMAS Adelaide	Avoca Beach, New South Wales	Australia
2011	USS Kittiwake (ASR-13)	West Bay, Grand Cayman	Cayman Islands
2009	HMAS Canberra	Barwon Heads, Victoria	Australia
2009	P31	Comino	Malta
2009	USNS General Hoyt S. Vandenberg^[8]	Key West, Florida	United States
2007	USS Cruise	Delaware Bay	United States
2007	HMNZS Canterbury	Bay of Islands	New Zealand
2007	USTS Texas Clipper	South Padre Island, Texas	United States
2007	P29^[9]	Ċirkewwa	Malta
2006	MV Cominoland^[9]	Gozo	Malta
2006	MV Karwela^[9]	Gozo	Malta
2006	HTMS Kut (L-731)	Pattaya	Thailand
2006	USS Oriskany (CV-34)	Florida	United States
2006	Xihwu Boeing 737^[10]	British Columbia	Canada
2005	HMNZS Wellington	Wellington	New Zealand
2005	HMAS Brisbane	Mooloolaba, Queensland	Australia
2004	Hebat Allah ^[11]	Hurghada, Red Sea	Egypt
2004	USCGC Spar	Morehead City, North Carolina	United States
2004	HMS Scylla	Whitsand Bay, Cornwall	United Kingdom
2003	MV Camia 2	Boracay island	Aklan
2003	CS Charles L Brown^[12]	Sint Eustatius	Leeward Islands
2003	HMCS Nipigon	Quebec	Canada
2003	USS Leonard F. Mason	Chaikou, Green Island	Taiwan
2003	HTMS Khram (L-732)	Ko Phai	Thailand
2002	MV Dania^[13]	Mombasa	Kenya
2002	USS Spiegel Grove^[14]	Florida	United States
2002	HMAS Hobart	Yankalilla Bay, South Australia	Australia
2001	HMAS Perth^[15]	Albany, Western Australia	Australia
2001	HMCS Cape Breton^[10]	British Columbia	Canada
2001	USS Jubilant	Veracruz	Mexico
2000	HMNZS Waikato	Tutukaka	New Zealand
2000	USS Knave	Puerto Morales	Mexico
2000	USS Fort Marion	HaiTzuKuo, Xiaoliuqiu	Taiwan
2000	HMCS Yukon^[10]	San Diego, California	United States
2000	Stanegarth	Stoney Cove	United Kingdom
1999	MV Imperial Eagle^[16]	Qawra	Malta
1999	USS Scuffle	Cozumel	Mexico
1999	HMNZS Tui	Tutukaka Heads	New Zealand
1999	MV Xlendi^[17]	Gozo	Malta
1998	MV Adolphus Busch	Looe Key, Florida	United States
1998	Um El Faroud^[9]	Qrendi	Malta
1998	St. Michael	Marsaskala	Malta
1998	Tug No. 10	Marsaskala	Malta
1997	HMCS Saskatchewan^[10]	British Columbia	Canada
1997	HMAS Swan^[18]	Dunsborough, Western Australia	Australia
1996	HMCS Columbia^[10]	British Columbia	Canada
1996	MV Captain Keith Tibbetts (formerly Russian-built frigate 356)	Cayman Brac	Cayman Islands
1996	Inganess Bay^[19]		British Virgin Islands
1995	HMCS Mackenzie^[10]	British Columbia	Canada
1995	MV Jean Escutia	Puerto Morelos	Mexico
1994	INS Sufa	Eilat, Israel	Israel
1994	HMAS Derwent	Rottnest Island	Australia
1994	SAS Pietermaritzburg, formerly HMS Pelorus	Miller's Point, Western Cape	South Africa
1994	HMCS Saguenay	Nova Scotia	Canada
1992	HMCS Chaudière^[10]	British Columbia	Canada
1992	USS Indra	North Carolina	United States
1992	MV Rozi^[9]	Ċirkewwa	Malta
1991	USS Algol	New Jersey	United States
1991–2001	"Wreck Alley" – Marie L, Pat and Beata^[20]		British Virgin Islands
1991	MV G.B. Church^[10]	British Columbia	Canada
1990	Fontao	Durban	South Africa
1990	USCG Hollyhock	Florida	United States
1990	T-Barge	Durban	South Africa
1990	USS Chippewa	Destin, Florida	United States
1990	USS Yancey	Morehead City, North Carolina	United States
1989	YO-257	Oahu, Hawaii	United States
1989	USS Blenny	Ocean City, Maryland	United States
1989	USS Muliphen	Port St. Lucie, Florida	United States
1988	USS Aeolus	North Carolina	United States
1988	USS Rankin	Stuart, Florida	United States
1988	USCGC Unimak	Virginia	United States
1988	USS Vermilion	Myrtle Beach, South Carolina	United States
1987–2000	Wreck Alley	San Diego, California	United States
1987	USCGC Bibb^[21]	Florida	United States
1987	USCGC Duane^[21]	Florida	United States
1987	Rainbow Warrior^[22]	Matauri Bay	New Zealand
1987	USS Strength	Panama City, Florida	United States
1987	USS Accokeek	Gulf of Mexico	United States
1985	Eagle	Florida	United States
1983	USS Curb	Key West, Florida	United States
1982	MS Logna	Grand Bahama Island	Bahamas
1982	USS Scrimmage	Waianae, Hawaii	United States
1980	USS Mindanao	Daytona Beach, Florida	United States
1980	USS Harlequin	Isla Mujeres	Mexico
1980	Oro Verde^[23]		Cayman Islands
1978	USS Dionysus	North Carolina	United States
1975	USS Mona Island	Wachapreague, Virginia	United States
1974	SS Theodore Parker	North Carolina	United States
1972	USS Fred T. Berry	Key West, Florida	United States
1970	Mohawk	Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina	United States
1970	Glen Strathallen	Plymouth Sound	United Kingdom
1968	USS Mizpah	Palm Beach, Florida	United States
1944	Jun'yō Maru	Samalona Island, South Sulawesi	Indonesia
1942/1984	Scirè	Haifa, Israel	Israel

References

^ Edney, Joanne (November 2006). "Impacts of Recreational Scuba Diving on Shipwrecks in Australia and the Pacific - A Review". Micronesian Journal of the Humanities and Social Sciences. 5 (1/2 Combined). Albury NSW, Australia: Heritage Futures International. ISSN 1449-7336.
^ "Timor Leste's Newest Shipwreck". Dive Timor Lorosae. 18 July 2023. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
^ "Watch: Tanker that ran aground off Qawra starts new life as a diving attraction". Times of Malta. 29 August 2022. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
^ Montebello, Edward (31 July 2021). "Ara l-mument tal-għarqa tal-P33 fil-ponta taż-Żonqor". One News (in Maltese). Archived from the original on 31 July 2021.
^ "Cordeca". www.portugaldive.com. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
^ "NRP General Pereira d'Eca F477". www.shipspotting.com. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
^ "HMCS Annapolis sunk to make artificial reef". CBC News. 4 April 2015. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
^ "Vandenberg sinking this morning". MSNBC. Associated Press. 2009-05-27. Retrieved 2009-05-28.^{[dead link]}
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "Diving the wrecks off Malta and Gozo's Coastline". Paradise Diving Malta. Retrieved 2012-09-04.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h "ARSBC". Artificial Reef Society of British Columbia. Archived from the original on 2010-08-05. Retrieved 2010-08-20.
^ "Hebat Allah". Red Sea Wreck Project. 19 August 2013. Retrieved 21 March 2017.
^ "Charlie Brown Artificial Reef". Golden Rock Dive Center. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
^ "5 Star PADI IDC Centre, Kenya, Zanzibar". Buccaneer Diving. Archived from the original on 10 June 2015. Retrieved 2010-08-20.
^ "The Spiegel Grove is believed to be the largest ever wreck deliberately sunk as a diving site". Fla-keys.com. Retrieved 2010-08-20.
^ "HMAS Perth (II) - Royal Australian Navy". Navy.gov.au. Retrieved 2010-08-20.
^ "MV Imperial Eagle & Kristu l-Bahhar". Subway Dive Centre. Retrieved 2012-09-04.
^ "Top wrecks of Malta & Gozo". John Liddiard. Retrieved 2012-09-04.
^ "HMAS Swan (III) - Royal Australian Navy". Navy.gov.au. Retrieved 2010-08-20.
^ "BVI Dive Site: Wreck of the Inganess Bay". Bvidiving.com. Retrieved 2010-08-20.
^ "Cooper Island". Dive BVI. Retrieved 2010-08-20.
^ ^a ^b Williams, Chris; Bowen, Linda (2008). "Wrecks of the Duane and Bibb" (PDF). Advanced Diver Magazine Ezine (1, reprinted from ADM issue 4): 62–72. Retrieved 2009-06-04.
^ The Bombing of the Rainbow Warrior
^ "The Cayman Islands Shipwreck Expo Directory Capt. Dan Berg's Guide to Shipwrecks information". Aquaexplorers.com. Retrieved 2010-08-20.

[Edney_2006-1] Edney, Joanne (November 2006). "Impacts of Recreational Scuba Diving on Shipwrecks in Australia and the Pacific - A Review". Micronesian Journal of the Humanities and Social Sciences. 5 (1/2 Combined). Albury NSW, Australia: Heritage Futures International. ISSN 1449-7336.

[dtl_kamanasa-2] "Timor Leste's Newest Shipwreck". Dive Timor Lorosae. 18 July 2023. Retrieved 13 September 2023.

[3] "Watch: Tanker that ran aground off Qawra starts new life as a diving attraction". Times of Malta. 29 August 2022. Retrieved 15 January 2023.

[4] Montebello, Edward (31 July 2021). "Ara l-mument tal-għarqa tal-P33 fil-ponta taż-Żonqor". One News (in Maltese). Archived from the original on 31 July 2021.

[5] "Cordeca". www.portugaldive.com. Retrieved 17 March 2020.

[6] "NRP General Pereira d'Eca F477". www.shipspotting.com. Retrieved 17 March 2020.

[7] "HMCS Annapolis sunk to make artificial reef". CBC News. 4 April 2015. Retrieved 5 April 2015.

[Vandenberg-8] "Vandenberg sinking this morning". MSNBC. Associated Press. 2009-05-27. Retrieved 2009-05-28.^{[dead link]}

[Paradise_Diving_Malta-9] "Diving the wrecks off Malta and Gozo's Coastline". Paradise Diving Malta. Retrieved 2012-09-04.

[artificialreef-10] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h "ARSBC". Artificial Reef Society of British Columbia. Archived from the original on 2010-08-05. Retrieved 2010-08-20.

[11] "Hebat Allah". Red Sea Wreck Project. 19 August 2013. Retrieved 21 March 2017.

[Charlie_Brown-12] "Charlie Brown Artificial Reef". Golden Rock Dive Center. Retrieved 2011-06-07.

[Buccaneer-13] "5 Star PADI IDC Centre, Kenya, Zanzibar". Buccaneer Diving. Archived from the original on 10 June 2015. Retrieved 2010-08-20.

[spiegelgrove-14] "The Spiegel Grove is believed to be the largest ever wreck deliberately sunk as a diving site". Fla-keys.com. Retrieved 2010-08-20.

[RAN_Perth-15] "HMAS Perth (II) - Royal Australian Navy". Navy.gov.au. Retrieved 2010-08-20.

[Divesubway-16] "MV Imperial Eagle & Kristu l-Bahhar". Subway Dive Centre. Retrieved 2012-09-04.

[Divernet-17] "Top wrecks of Malta & Gozo". John Liddiard. Retrieved 2012-09-04.

[RAN_Swan-18] "HMAS Swan (III) - Royal Australian Navy". Navy.gov.au. Retrieved 2010-08-20.

[BVI_Inganess-19] "BVI Dive Site: Wreck of the Inganess Bay". Bvidiving.com. Retrieved 2010-08-20.

[DiveBVI-20] "Cooper Island". Dive BVI. Retrieved 2010-08-20.

[ADMezine1-21] Williams, Chris; Bowen, Linda (2008). "Wrecks of the Duane and Bibb" (PDF). Advanced Diver Magazine Ezine (1, reprinted from ADM issue 4): 62–72. Retrieved 2009-06-04.

[22] The Bombing of the Rainbow Warrior

[Aquaexp-23] "The Cayman Islands Shipwreck Expo Directory Capt. Dan Berg's Guide to Shipwrecks information". Aquaexplorers.com. Retrieved 2010-08-20.

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Sinking ships for wreck diving sites

Preparation

Choice of site

Sinking

Reception

List of ships sunk for wreck diving

See also

References

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