7 Amazing Artificial Reefs That Are Made from Sunken Ships
Natural reefs have been in decline since the 1950s, with more than half the reefs around the world gradually dying. This is due to reasons including environmental causes, human interference, and natural factors such as disease. Luckily, scientists have come up with a way to help coral reefs start to grow back — artificial reefs. Artificial reefs are manmade structures where corals can grow that then begin to support larger underwater ecosystems. They work just like natural reefs but are made with structures placed by humans in specific areas.
Many different materials are used for artificial reefs, but one common structure is to use sunken ships. Sunken ships are placed in strategic areas, allowing fish and plant life populations to start to bounce back. Here are seven such artificial reefs to know about around the world.
1. USS Accokeek
The USS Accokeek is a 143-foot-long fleet tug that was sunk in July 2000. The ship dates to 1944, when it was built for the US Navy. Originally, she traveled the world, helping bring damaged ships back from the battlefront in Japan. Later, she helped traverse the Panama Canal, still acting largely in her original capacity as a tugboat. However, she was eventually decommissioned and given to the Navy Dive School in Florida. The dive school sunk and re-floated the ship several times before finally laying her to rest permanently off the coast of Panama City in Florida.
2. MV Adolphus Busch
Despite its German-sounding name, the MV Adolphus Busch was a cargo ship built in Scotland in 1950. She had a long career and was in operation until 1998. However, that year the ship was wrecked, ending her lengthy seafaring days. A man named August Busch bought the boat and renamed her after his great grandfather. Then he sunk the ship off the coast of Florida the same year that she had been wrecked. Today, her skeleton sits out in the Florida Keys and is a popular diving site for tourists.
3. Bud Bar
The Budweiser or “Bud” Bar is a rather impressive ship that measures a whopping 169 feet in length. This ship was built in Germany in the late 1960s and was given the name M/S Havel. The ship served in German waters up until 1977, when it was sold to the Miami Caicos Shipping company and was given a new name.
She served as a freighter, transporting cargo up and down the coast of Florida, through the Bahamas, and to other islands in the Caribbean. However, the boat was retired in 1987 when she was given over to a diving company in Boynton Beach, Florida. Then, the beach was sunk to become an artificial reef and can still be visited as a dive site.
4. SS James Caldwell
Another exciting artificial reef project is the SS James Caldwell reef. The SS James Caldwell is a transport ship that was built in 1943. This ship was mainly used during World War II, although once the war ended, she served as a cargo ship. In 1976, SS James Caldwell was sent to Mississippi. There, she was sunk off the coast of Horn Island and remains an active artificial reef.
5. HMS Pelorus
One of several artificial reefs that sit off South Africa’s coastline is the HMS Pelorus. This ship was a minesweeper that was launched in 1943 to serve in World War II. The ship, although commissioned by the British Royal Navy, was sold to the South African Navy in 1947 just a few years after being built. The South African Navy used her up until the 1970s, when she was finally scuttled and sunk as an artificial reef. The ship sits off the coast of Simontown now, where she supports marine life.
6. USS Rankin
The USS Rankin is a warship that was built in 1944. She was sold the following year to the United States Navy, who gave her the name USS Rankin. Interestingly, the Navy only used her for two years before decommissioning her. Then, in 1952, the USS Rankin was recommissioned for use in the Korean War. The ship served for another 19 years until she was decommissioned again in 1971. After her second decommissioning, the ship was sunk as an artificial reef. The reef is thriving and now sits off the coast of Stuart in Florida.
7. HMNZ Waikato
The HMNZ Waikato was a frigate built for the Royal New Zealand Navy in 1965. The ship itself, although built for use in New Zealand, was constructed in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The ship was used right up until 1998, when she was decommissioned. Two years later, in 2000, the HMNZ Waikato was sold to the Tutukaka Promotions Society. This group sank the ship as an artificial reef in Ngunguru Bay, and she can still be visited as a dive site.
