We are sinking a freaking aircraft carrier tomorrow near Pensacola and are getting paid to do it! These things really aren't meant to be sunk, so it should be real interesting.
Resolve Marine Group (RMG) An International provider of Marine Salvage and Marine Emergency Response Services. Resolve continues to be the mark of prompt and effective Marine Salvage and Marine Emergency Response services in the Americas. Dedicated to the preservation of the marine environment, RMG remains committed to providing the best Marine Salvage, Marine Firefighting, Wreck removal, Artificial Reef deployment and Marine Training Services to the international maritime industry. Resolve's most high-profile reef project was the rolling sinking of the capsized decommissioned Navy vessel SPIEGEL GROVE off Key Largo, Fla., in 2002. Resolve was asked to perform the repositioning of her after the original contractor's attempt resulted in the vessel being accidentally capsized. During the initial attempt the 6,000-ton SPIEGEL GROVE was left lying upside down, its stern resting on the seafloor in 130 feet of water, and its bow protruding an estimated 40 feet above the waves. A ship once upside down is extremely difficult to right, especially one with a length of 510 feet, according to Resolve’s Joe Farrell. Resolve worked closely with the organizers of the event to provide a cost-effective plan to roll the vessel and sink it properly so that it settled evenly on its keel on the seafloor. As a result of the previous contractor’s difficulties, the project was already over-extended financially, which added an extra challenge to Resolve's engineering plan. In June 2002 Resolve salvage masters, divers, and engineers successfully rolled and sank the vessel by introducing 2,500 tons of air into certain vessel tanks, attaching 500 tons of air lift bags, a pair of tugs, along with an elaborate web of anchor gear. When the SPIEGEL GROVE was sunk off Key Largo, local experts estimated the vessel would draw 50,000 to 70,000 divers each year. Besides their inherent intrigue to divers, artificial reefs attract untold numbers of marine life species, making artificial reef destinations a desirable attraction to any local tourist economy. During 2003 Resolve Marine Group, Port Everglade, Florida, was awarded a contract by the Maritime Administration (MARAD) for one ship, the Albert E. Watts, located in Mobile Bay, Alabama, $3,465,779. Resolve Marine Services – in a Joint Venture with ESCO Marine – have been contracted by the U.S. Navy to prepare the aircraft carrier Oriskany to be sunk as an artificial reef. The 910-foot vessel, which served the U.S. Navy in the Korean and Vietnam wars, will be the largest artificial reef in the world when it is sunk in U.S. waters Ex-ORISKANY is planned to be sunk after issuance of a risk based PCB disposal approval by EPA Region IV. The environmental remediation actions are defined in the EPA’s BMP document. The Navy’s contract with Resolve Marine Group/ESCO Marine Joint Venture, awarded in Sep 03, was based on the draft EPA BMP document. The scope of work to prepare ex-ORISKANY for sinking as an artificial reef includes removal/disposal of liquid hydrocarbons (fuels and oils) throughout the ship so that the ship is essentially petroleum free; removal/disposal of any loose or detached friable asbestos containing material; removal/ disposal of all capacitors, transformers or other liquid PCB containing components; removal and disposal of all loose paint accumulated on deck surfaces, bulkheads and overhead areas; removal/disposal of trash, loose debris, cleaning materials, and any floatable materials not permanently attached to the ship or that could be transported in the water column during sinking; removal/disposal of batteries, HALON, mercury, antifreeze, coolants, fire extinguishing agents, black and gray water, and chromated ballast water. The work was completed in December 2004. Resolve Marine Services and ESCO Marine mobilized a team to remove materials and secure the ex-Oriskany in accordance with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards. Overall, the remediation phase included a team of more than 180 personnel at its peak, with the removal of wood flight deck, bulkhead insulation, catapult remediation and removal of caulking requiring a team of more than 60 personnel.
SC, is this the carrier that was stored at the mothball fleet outside of the Port of Beaumont? One more thing......
Cool, I have been pretty close to it. It's the carrier that McCain flew off of when he was shot down in 'Nam.
http://pensacolanewsjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060515/NEWS01/60515005 http://pensacolanewsjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060515/VIDEO/60515006
The vehicle was a boat that contained the computers that controlled the demolition sequence. It floated away and we were able to recover the computers to see if all the charges detonated.
Why, oh why am I skeptical? Is it just the way I was brought up, or something in the environment? Or diet?
