U.S.S. Vandenberg is the Florida Keys newest Artificial Reef

The Hoyt S. Vandenberg is the largest artificial reef in the waters of the Florida Keys. It was sent to the bottom of the ocean on May 27, 2009.

I went out to watch the ship sink. It's only 24 miles from my house according to my GPS. It's pretty neat to watch these big ships sink on purpose.

The Vandenberg was pretty un-eventful as sinkings go. It's sitting upright on the ocean floor. The Adolphus Busch was a little more spectacular. Lots of air blowing out of the openings and then the stern sank underneath the water and the bow came straight up out of the water before it disappeared under the waves. It rested in the upright position. Then there's the Spiegel Grove off Key Largo. This ship decided to go early. The prep team was still onboard when the vessel began to sink. They got everybody off but it was a little hairy for a while. It ended up on it's side instead of sitting up proud and proper. Then Hurricane Dennis came through and the current was so strong, even at the depth of 150' that it righted the ship. She's now sitting up as she should be.

There's a camera mounted on the Vandenberg so anyone in the world can watch as it get's encrusted with marine life over time. You can go to my Vandenberg page and find out much more including the link to the webcam on the ship.