Officials hope ship creates reef

Associated Press

KINGSTON, Jamaica

A decommissioned U.S. Navy ship was scuttled recently in the clear Caribbean waters of the Cayman Islands, where officials say the sunken vessel will attract fish and tourists.

The USS Kittiwake, a 1945-vintage submarine rescue ship, rests on a sandy bottom off Grand Cayman’s Seven Mile Beach. The 47-foot-tall ship is at a depth of 62 feet, so the top deck is close to the Caribbean Sea’s surface, making it easily accessible for snorkelers and divers.

Crews carefully flooded the rusty hulk so the 2,200-ton ship would settle upright. Holes were punched in the hull and large pumps gradually piped sea water into the ship, which was compartmentalized into three sections.

Divers will attach mooring lines to the ship on the seafloor, and the scuttled Kittiwake should be open to the public soon, according to project manager Nancy Easterbrook.

Besides being a lure for tourists, the Kittiwake will be an artificial reef that can shelter fish and crustaceans in waters known for excellent visibility and abundant sea life.

The Kittiwake joins the MV Captain Keith Tibbetts, a Russian frigate sunk off the coast of Cayman Brac in 1996 that is now decorated with a thick coating of sponges and corals.