i had this link sent to me today from earlier this month when the navy sank one of our old flat tops to help form a new reef 24 miles out of FL.
the navy photos are good . but sad for many of our men who served on her . one grand old lady. rest in peace down there big lady.

http://www.irishmansoftware.com/Oriskany.htm

 

Good story....read about it in the paper. The old girl will still do some good work in producing a great breeding and living habitat for game fish. As a saltwater man myself, I see the value in these "artificial reefs".......Rest in peace.

 

It seems to me that's a lot of scrap metal to be rusting away on the bottom of the ocean.

 

Wow! Good reading. I could think of a few more that need to visit Davy Jones locker.

 

> It seems to me that's a lot of scrap metal to be rusting away on the
> bottom of the ocean.

To sell it for scrap metal and dismantle it, not likely to work. Many countries would consider it hazardous waste and I doubt the USA would sell it whole to any country. I bet they learn something just from sinking it, 50+ years old as it was.

Probably will be a big boon for a tourist attraction and fishing.

 

that's kinda sad watching it sink to the bottom, step by step... Thinking about all the fine lads that served on the ship, you can see lots of history sinking to the gulf.

Ryan

 

if you read the article no one wanted it. so they spent the cash to super clean it up and sank it. she served in 3 wars .and was a grand old lady. just to some of us swabies. either e rank, w rank and o rank seeing a ship like that sink hurts. esp to men and ladies who served on her, she was not scrap metal but a peice of floating history

 

I know a lot of people were sad to see her slip under the waves, but you have to look at it this way, if people still wanna see the Mighty O, they can go diving. It sure beats wondering if part of our trucks were made out her deck plates! And why all the heartache for the Oriskany, I didnt see this much for the America when they sank her last year.

 

couldnt just set it free eh?

GREAT GEAT READ

 

when you serve on a oil burner like her it has a special meaning. for me it was my dad. but the true meaning is as a ship of war who did a lot. and could have done more as reused metal. but now just memories to the many swabies and officers who walked her decks.

and as a p.s. i was a swabie and walked the decks of the enterprise our first nuke carrier.

 

Dont get me wrong Capt, my dad was on 4 Essex class back in the 60s hunting subs. 2 of his are still around as museums. So I realize the sorrow many see.But like I said, at least they didnt turn into razor blades or use it for a missle shoot. She can still be seen(if you are scuba cert.) and now she has a whole new mission. And as I saw in the pictures, she is sitting upright in 212' ready to dive!

 

amen to that brother. you are so correct it's much better then as a toyota or kia. just in my family dad walked her decks as one of her many cpo's. she had meaning to him and many others.

212 is a deep dive. but possible and in short time she will fill again with new life .

 

From the surface, it's 212 feet to the keel. 60 feet to the top of the superstructure.

http://www.mbtdivers.com/Oriskany%20Misc.htm

"She sits upright in 212' of water, with the flight deck around 135', and the top of the structure at 69'. A dive on the USS Oriskany does not need to be a technical dive, as there is more than enough to provide an awesome dive experience above the 100' mark. "

 

oh how correct.