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New dive site being set up in Florida Keys
15 Apr 2009
The Vandenberg, a decommissioned US Air Force ship, is being moved to the island of Key West in Florida to create a new diving site.
In the final stages of a 13-year process to create a new artificial reef in the Florida Keys, the retired missile-tracking vessel was moved into Chesapeake Bay in south-east Virginia, north of Florida, on 12 April.
The ship is now being led on its 1,100-mile voyage to its final destination by the Elsbeth III tugboat in a journey that should take about a week.
An extra month of work will be required before the Vandenberg can be sunk six miles south of Key West to provide a new habitat for marine life and a recreational site for divers.
Joe Weatherby, who began efforts to bring the ship to Key West, said: 'There is simply nothing else like the Vandenberg for divers.
'There are a dozen dive points that will come within 40 to 50 feet of the surface, while deeper areas will provide opportunities for advanced divers.'
Divers can explore several other underwater sites in the Florida Keys, including Elbow Reef and the wrecks of the USS Alligator and a World War I submarine.
Opodo cheap flights, hotels and car hire - let the journey begin!
In the final stages of a 13-year process to create a new artificial reef in the Florida Keys, the retired missile-tracking vessel was moved into Chesapeake Bay in south-east Virginia, north of Florida, on 12 April.
The ship is now being led on its 1,100-mile voyage to its final destination by the Elsbeth III tugboat in a journey that should take about a week.
An extra month of work will be required before the Vandenberg can be sunk six miles south of Key West to provide a new habitat for marine life and a recreational site for divers.
Joe Weatherby, who began efforts to bring the ship to Key West, said: 'There is simply nothing else like the Vandenberg for divers.
'There are a dozen dive points that will come within 40 to 50 feet of the surface, while deeper areas will provide opportunities for advanced divers.'
Divers can explore several other underwater sites in the Florida Keys, including Elbow Reef and the wrecks of the USS Alligator and a World War I submarine.
Opodo cheap flights, hotels and car hire - let the journey begin!
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