By Steve Waters
Staff Writer

May 19, 2002

Organizers of the project to create an artificial reef off Key Largo with the Navy ship Spiegel Grove were still trying to figure out how to get the 510-foot vessel to the bottom of the ocean Saturday.

Spiegel Grove sank ahead of schedule off Key Largo on Friday morning. The ship was being filled with water to get it partially submerged, then explosives were going to be placed inside and detonated to send the ship to the bottom in 130 feet of water six miles off Key Largo. The ship suddenly sank on its own, before the explosives were put on board, and turned upside down.

The ship's stern is resting on the bottom and its bow, which had air trapped inside, was extending about 20 feet above the surface.

According to project spokesman Andy Newman, board members of the Key Largo Chamber of Commerce were determined to sink the vessel so it rests right-side up on the bottom.

"Our ultimate intent is to do what we intended to do from Day 1," said Stephen Frink, a project organizer and member of the Chamber's artificial reef committee. He added that the chamber reviewed proposals from three salvage companies Saturday and hoped to sign a contract soon.

"We've got an air pocket that's holding the vessel in one position. We have four anchors deployed, so the boat's not going anywhere and it still has hull integrity."

Divers went to the ship Saturday to recover equipment left by workers who were on Spiegel Grove when it began to sink. About 50 people were on board. All got off safely. 

Steve Waters can be reached at swaters@sun-sentinel.com or at 954-356-4648.

Copyright (c) 2002, South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Visit Sun-Sentinel.com

Photo: Dwarfing 2 other boats, the Navy transport ship Spiegel Grove bobs in the Atlantic Ocean on May 17 after its premature sinking left it in a precarious spot near the delicate Dixie Shoal reef. Its stern is on the ocean floor. (STEPHEN M. DOWELL/ORLANDO SENTINEL)
 

Return to newspaper story index

Organizers of the effort to sink the Spiegel Grove as an artificial reef spent Saturday hammering out a contract with a South Florida salvage company to try to right the vessel on the ocean floor.

The sinking went awry Friday when the 510-foot, 6,880-ton surplus Navy ship went down too fast and flipped over. It remains partially submerged upside down, with the bow sticking up about 50 feet above the water's surface, held in place by four anchors in 130 feet of water about six miles off Key Largo.

Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary personnel and volunteers from Key Largo's Ocean Divers dived down to inspect the wreck's stability Saturday.

''It's very stable,'' said Rob Bleser, co-commander of the sinking effort with George Garrett. ``It's laying on the stern and on its two cranes with air up in the front.''

Divers from the prospective salvage company were scheduled to have a look at the ship Saturday to see what they have to do to right it. Organizers declined to identify the company until the contract is signed.

According to Stephen Frink of the Key Largo Chamber of Commerce Artificial Reef Committee, tentative plans might call for deploying lift bags filled with air in the ship's upside-down well deck and pumping air back into ballast tanks now filled with water.

When the ship is raised midway off the bottom or up to the surface, tugboats would attach lines to both sides and try to flip it right-side up so it could sink back down to the bottom upright.

''We have never stepped back from wanting this vessel on the bottom upright,'' Frink said. ``I don't believe our commitment is going to go away till the ship is upright.''

Upright, the ship would be accessible to scuba divers and could be seen by snorkelers and riders on glass-bottom boats. If left upside down, it would be suitable only for experienced scuba divers trained in hazardous overhead environments.

The eight-year effort to sink the Spiegel Grove has already cost more than $1 million. That expense will rise with the salvage effort, which Frink estimates at between $9,000 and $15,000 per day.

''We have the funding, and we have the resolve,'' Frink said.

He added that the Key Largo Chamber of Commerce and South Florida dive shops are selling commemorative medallions for $250 and $10 to help defray the project cost.

If a contract is signed today with the salvage company, Frink said, work could begin as early as Wednesday, and the ship could be diveable by the upcoming holiday weekend.

''People ought to keep Memorial Day weekend open,'' he said.

Meanwhile, Bleser and other project leaders spent Saturday taking inventory of welding equipment and other tools that were lost when the Spiegel Grove sank prematurely Friday morning. Most of the tools had been donated by business owners who closed up shop last week to volunteer in the deployment.

''I feel for all the people who've been working so hard for the last four or five days to make it a great dive site,'' Bleser said.

The estimated 40 to 50 workers on board the Spiegel Grove when it started to sink quickly abandoned ship by getting into three rescue boats. No one was injured.

On Saturday night, a TowBoat U.S. vessel from Key Largo stood by next to the Spiegel Grove, flashing a rotating beacon so the wreck would not pose a navigational hazard. Coast Guard, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and other law enforcement officers have posted a 500-yard perimeter around the site.

The sinking of the Spiegel Grove is one of the most anticipated events in the Keys in recent memory. Besides hundreds of curious boaters and divers, the event drew some of the sailors who served on board the ship before its decommissioning in 1989.

John Braddock of Drums, Pa., was a hull maintenance technician on the Spiegel Grove from 1979-83.

Braddock rode out to the wreck site on a dive boat Friday to have a look at his former floating home and toast it with a beer.

''We were hoping it would go down the way it was planned,'' he said. ``But if worse comes to worst, it'll be a good reef for the sea life. Lots of ships get torpedoed or sold for scrap, but this ship will be alive.''

© 2001 miami and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.miami.com 

BBC Photo: It was supposed to be a controlled sinking.

Return to newspaper story index

BY STEVE GIBBS 
keysnews.com

KEY LARGO -- Soon after the 510-foot Spiegel Grove's stern slipped to the seabed, its inverted bow still afloat, the U.S. Coast Guard issued a Captain-of-the-Port Order to stop any further activity to sink the ship as an artificial reef. 

The Coast Guard has imposed three requirements on the Key Largo Chamber of Commerce, which is spearheading the scuttling project. 

Those requirements include a written, detailed sinking plan listing the equipment to be used, and a safety plan including a list of appropriate vessels to be used during the process. 

"The Coast Guard wants to oversee this operation," said Cheva Heck, spokeswoman for the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. 

The Spiegel Grove sits partially on the bottom within the Sanctuary. 

Lt. Cmdr. Dave Score was on the scene Friday afternoon attempting to determine how the ship might be returned to an upright position. 

Two main problems now exist, the most urgent being that the partially sunken ship presents a hazard to navigation. The bow of the ship rises about 50 feet above the surface of the water, creating a navigational hazard. 

The Coast Guard is responsible for removing hazards to navigation, and could pursue other means to sink the Spiegel Grove. 

The other problem is significant for Monroe County, the Key Largo Chamber of Commerce and the dive industry: How to right the ship -- if possible -- so that she can be used as a safe dive site, as planned. 

The chamber began the project and has obligated itself to a $1.1 million debt to local banks and the Monroe County Tourist Development Council. 

Local dive shops have agreed to sell a $10 plastic dive medallion to their customers in order to raise money to help offset the chamber's costs. 

Heck said Score told her that dragging the ship to deeper water was out of the question, since living coral separates the ship from deeper waters. 

Prior to the ship's arrival the Coast Guard set up a safety zone. That zone remains in effect until Monday, after which a decision must be made as to how to eliminate the hazard to navigation. 

If, however, the Spiegel Grove is sunk in its current position -- upside down -- and a storm moves the ship and damages coral, Monroe County could be liable since the orientation of the ship is not in accord with the county's permit. 

County Commissioner George Neugent visited the site Friday afternoon. He contacted Sanctuary Superintendent Bill Causey in Washington, D.C. 

"I don't know if there are federal funds available to help with [righting the ship], since it's a Key Largo Chamber of Commerce project and Monroe County project," he said. "Of course, it's in marine sanctuary property now and a dangerous and unstable position, and hopefully we will be able to get the federal funds to help out." 

Neugent said the liability associated with sinking the ship has been a concern of the county. 

"It's been a big fear of [County Administrator] James Roberts and the Monroe County Commission," he said. "I am curious what the Sanctuary is going to do with this in light of the Vandenberg, which they hope to sink off Key West." 

"I think this could have some negative implications for the Vandenberg." 

Staff Writer Harlen Brown contributed to this report. 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This story published on Sat, May 18, 2002

Return to newspaper story index

BY STEVE GIBBS 
keysnews.com

KEY LARGO -- An eight-year dream turned upside down Friday morning when the former Navy ship Spiegel Grove sank prematurely in 130-feet of water, turning belly up with her bow jutting 50 feet out of the water. 

The 510-foot, 6,880-ton ship, scheduled for a 2 p.m. sinking six miles offshore in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, slipped under the surface at 10 a.m. 

Volunteers had been filling 110 ballast tanks with seawater since late Tuesday to help lower the stern in preparation for sinking. About 40 people were aboard the ship. 

The plan was to have it sit as low as possible before explosives blew open the engine rooms. The explosives had not been brought aboard when it went down. 

Volunteers had been torching, welding and manning pumps since early Wednesday morning.

All were evacuated to safety, and there were no injuries. 

Within hours, the U.S. Coast Guard Miami Group issued a Captain-of-the-Port Order to stop any further activity to sink the ship until it can review a detailed sinking and safety plan, according to Cheva Heck, spokeswoman for the Sanctuary. 

Meanwhile, Heck said, the ship would be lighted for nighttime navigational purposes. The Coast Guard is maintaining a 500-yard security zone around the ship. 

The Key Largo Chamber of Commerce has been in charge of the $1.1 million project from the beginning of the effort. 

The project has been financially supported by First State Bank, TIB Bank of the Keys, Community Bank, the Tourist Development Council and the Monroe Board of County Commissioners. 

During a press conference Friday afternoon, George Garrett, director of marine resources for Monroe County, said he expects the ship to be completely submerged Monday. 

"I'm probably not going to be home for the weekend," he said. 

Two salvage companies are already in the Keys and another is on its way, according to Garrett. 

Garrett estimated that two large tugs with a combination 7,200 horsepower could be enough to turn the ship on its side. 

Stephen Frink, a member of the chamber's Artificial Reef Committee, said the unexpected sinking was only a "hiccup" or "burp" in the plans to make the Spiegel Grove the largest artificial reef and dive site in the world. 

"She wins for now but not forever," Frink said. "The Key Largo community is absolutely dedicated to making this the shipwreck we intended it to be." 

Garrett said the unexpected sinking was caused by a combination of wind, current and lack of experience in sinking a 500-foot ship. 

"The prevailing winds and current out there caught it and rolled it," Garrett said. "As [volunteers] were continuing to work, it began flooding a little bit too fast for it. ... I would say that the ship went down in the place and attitude it was supposed to." 

The chamber had liability insurance for cleaning and towing the vessel but nothing beyond, Frink said. 

Frink said that despite the lack of insurance, Friday's incident would not break the chamber. 

Spencer Slate, a dive shop owner and Artificial Reef Committee member who has worked almost eight years on the project, said that he had turned in a letter of resignation to the chamber board. 

Slate called the unplanned sinking a total disaster. 

"I apologize to my community because your eight-year dream has turned into a nightmare," he told a radio audience a couple of hours after the sinking. 

Slate said he warned Spiegel Grove Project Manager Rob Bleser about the speed at which the ship would flood. 

"Ray Salopek, the marine architect Rob brought in, wouldn't listen to anyone," Slate said late Friday. 

"He determined that if we took the final tank covers off the stern of the ship it would fill with two feet of water. We knew that would sink the ship and warned him, but he wouldn't listen," Slate said. 

Bleser did not return repeated calls for comment Friday. 

Sinking feeling 

County Commissioner Murray Nelson, Key Largo Fire Chief Sergio Garcia and two other fire chiefs had just been dropped off on the ship's deck by the Monroe County Sheriff's helicopter Knight Star when an alert to evacuate was sounded. 

"We had just gotten off the helicopter, and I started taking pictures," Nelson said. "The helicopter had taken off and I noticed water filling up the hold. An alarm sounded and nonessential personnel were ordered off the ship. 

"Sergio helped me down a 10-foot ladder off the side of the ship into an inflatable boat. I had to crawl through cables," he said. "It was difficult but very orderly. It only took about 10 minutes for the ship to sink. 

"I guess someone made a miscalculation about how far it should go down," Nelson said, "because once they got to those holes ... the water came pouring in." 

Lt. Mike Pandol, the pilot of the Knight Star and a former military combat pilot, said, "It was an adrenaline rush. We had a great time." 

Shortly after he had taken off, Pandol was called back to the ship to retrieve the three fire chiefs he had transported to the ship. 

Meanwhile, the ship's crew was offloading equipment and boarding a tugboat. 

When Pandol saw that the ship was going down, he was concerned whether he could land. 

"The waves were breaking over the back of the helipad when I set her down," he said. "The ship was sitting at an angle of 12 to 15 degrees. 

"When I lowered my controls and we touched down, the helicopter slipped back a couple of feet. I realized that I better grab them now because this will be my only shot. 

"They jumped in, and I took off right away before anyone had time to put on seat belts," Pandol said. 

He pointed out that despite the apparent danger, the evacuation took place in an orderly manner. 

"Given the magnitude of the event, I thought Rob Bleser and his crew performed magnificently," he said. 

Jim Van Fleet, a volunteer worker on the ship, was aboard when it began to sink. 

"When she started to sink, we formed a bucket brigade and evacuated at least half of the equipment," he said. "It was very orderly. When we were all safely off, we were able to back away from the sinking ship before it became critical." 

A large amount of debris and equipment littered the ocean around the ship. 

"We were evacuated to the tugboat -- the Portsmouth -- and the work crew watched as she sank," he said. "She went down perfectly the first two-thirds of the way, and it looked like she would be OK. 

"When she started to roll over on her starboard side we all started yelling 'No, No, No.' Then she paused and we thought she might right herself, but then she just rolled over on her top with the keel towards the sky," Van Fleet said. 

"A volunteer who did not understand the importance of this project laughed and compared her with the Titanic," he said. "To those who did understand, it was like a funeral. 

"She's sitting there like an island. As we speak the tug has a line on the anchor chain trying to right her." 

After a half hour the tug gave up and detached the line. 

According to David Score of the Sanctuary, the original plan was for the tugboat to push the ship into the wind and current as it sunk in order to prevent it from flipping. The tugboat, however, was used to evacuate the people on board. 

Capt. Tom Seeley of the Aqua-Nut Diver was diving on the Benwood when he saw the Spiegel Grove go down about a mile-and-a-half away. 

He speculated that turning the ship back upright is "doubtful." 

"There's no way they'll right it now," he said. "If they are able to right it, it will be an engineering marvel of the first degree." 

Staff writer Rebekah Mills contributed to this report. 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This story published on Sat, May 18, 2002

Return to newspaper story index

By Rich McKay
(Orlando) Sentinel Staff Writer
May 19, 2002

KEY LARGO -- Bobbing and listing as waves broke against its upside-down hull, a decommissioned Navy ship intended to be sunk for a reef refused to go down Saturday.

Behind the scenes, efforts to figure out how to flip over the USS Spiegel Grove continued. Ideas ranged from explosives, having a military jet fighter blow it to bits or the more likely scenario: putting tow lines and a giant balloon underneath it.

As one dive-shop owner put it, "We're in the head-scratching stage."

As of late Saturday, three salvage companies were investigating ways to right the ship, but no serious efforts were anticipated before Wednesday, said Andy Newman, a spokesman for the Spiegel Grove Artificial Reef Committee.

The ship was supposed to have been sunk Friday afternoon -- to become the world's largest artificial reef in a National Marine Sanctuary -- in time for a media fanfare. But a decision to flood the ship's well deck with water partially sank it as 40 to 50 workers dropped their tools and scrambled to the safety of nearby boats.

The idea was to bloat the ship with water so it would glide gracefully into the sea after explosive charges pierced its skin. But more than 12,000 tons of water had already been pumped into the ship's 110 ballast tanks and lower decks when more water was added.

Witnesses said that the ship went down in about 10 minutes.

The 510-foot behemoth of gray Navy steel rests with its stern on the ocean floor about 160 feet below and its bow about 50 feet in the air.

It was planned that the eight-story-tall ship would sink right-side up, so novice divers and snorklers could reach its uppermost decks, while experienced divers could reach the bottom. It was estimated that the sunken ship would bring in 50,000 to 70,000 visitors a year and pump $14 million into the Key Largo economy.

As it is now, the Cold War-era ship, which was used to transport troops and equipment and to fish Mercury and Apollo space capsules out of the ocean, is poised to sink upside-down. That would render it useless as a dive spot.

Whatever is done must be done quickly. The ship rests just sixth-tenths of a mile off the Dixie Shoal reef, about six miles off Key Largo.

Cheva Heck, a spokeswoman for the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, said that a storm wind could drive the ship into the reef, causing untold ecological damage. For now, though, the four anchors on the ship are holding it in its intended spot.

Newman said he was certain that at the very least, the ship will be turned sideways, making it accessible to experienced divers.

"We will make our best effort to have it sit upright on the ocean bottom as intended," Newman said.

"This is a setback, but there have been a number of setbacks in the almost eight-year history of the project. But for every hurdle, it hasn't deterred us."

Newman said the most-likely scenario is for divers to attach giant bags under one side of the ship and then fill them with air, while attaching tow lines to tug boats on the other.

Then an explosive charge could burst the hull, releasing the trapped bow-air that is keeping the ship afloat. The airbags and tow line could cause the ship to roll, at least to land on its side.

Ed Davidson, a dive-shop owner in Marathon, said that the artificial reef, even if it is successful, does not address the problems that are destroying the natural reefs.

"This idea appealed to everyone as the silver-bullet solution to our problems," he said. "But it does nothing about water clarity or the decline of the reefs. For that, we should demand better sewage treatment. But everyone wants to live on the beach and flush their toilets in the ocean."

He also criticized the sinking debacle as "amateur hour."

Local pilot Jim Wyatt had a novel idea for getting the ship down.

"They ought to get one of the Top Gun flyboys here in a fighter jet and shoot a missile at it. That would sink it for sure. They're wasting their time trying to turn it around. There's not a boat big enough in the world to do that."

Rich McKay can be reached at rmckay@orlandosentinel.com or 386-253-2316.
Copyright (c) 2002, Orlando Sentinel

Visit OrlandoSentinel.com

Return to newspaper story index

Sun May 19, 5:39 PM ET 

KEY LARGO, Fla. (AP) - The city's Chamber of Commerce hired a marine salvage company Sunday to finish scuttling a Navy ship that sank accidentally hours before crews had planned to send it to the bottom of the sea to create an artificial reef.

The 510-foot vessel is resting upside down in about 130 feet of water, its bow sticking out of the sea six miles offshore.

The salvage company intends to float the ship using air bags and a compressor to remove water from the hull. Tugs boats and water currents will then be used to roll it.

"The ultimate objective is to get the ship upright," said Joe Farrell, president of Resolve Towing and Salvage, of Fort Lauderdale. "At the very least, we hope to get the Spiegel Grove on her side."

The cost of the salvage work was not released. The project already has cost more than $1 million, with money coming from the Monroe County Tourist Development Council and the sale of commemorative dive medallions and tags.

Marine biologists have said the ship, which went down prematurely Friday, will be the largest ever intentionally sunk to create an artificial reef. Such reefs attract underwater wildlife and are popular with scuba divers.

The Spiegel Grove — named for the Ohio home of President Rutherford B. Hayes — was decommissioned in 1989 and sat in a Navy shipyard in Virginia for almost eight years.

Photo: This photograph is a close up view of the unplanned sinking of the US Naval Warship Spiegel Grove. It was taken from the support vessel "Island Girl", a 42 foot sport fishing vessel which donated services to NOAA Sanctuary for the day.  This is one of ten photos available on eBay.  The seller says all profits will be donated to the Spiegel Grove project.

Return to newspaper story index

By Kevin Senecal, Spiegel Grove Business Manager 

Many of you might like to get some more up to date and accurate information about the status of the Spiegel Grove. There has been some misinformation circulating although most of what has been on TV and in the papers is pretty much true. Below I will answer what I am hearing are the most common questions based on the information that has been provided to me. 

The biggest question of all....What happened?

The sinking plan for this vessel included flooding several compartments to sink it approximately 3 to 4 feet prior to the detonation of charges in the engine room that were to complete the process. It was also intended that anchors in the stern would be cut to allow the vessel more freedom to move in achieving balance going down. What happened is that the compartment flooding caused the vessel to sink further than the anticipated 3 to 4 feet. This basically meant the ship was going down on her own without the assistance of the charges which never even got on the ship. In many ways that was a good thing other than the time was too early for most of us planning to see the event. It also meant that there were still people on the ship that needed to get off earlier than expected. All 40 plus personnel on board the ship left orderly and safely, leaving behind some equipment...torches, work lights, compressors, etc. The sinking progressed quite smoothly and (as the pictures in many papers show) was vertical most of the way down. Just as planned. However, the early departure of personnel meant that the stern anchors were never released and the ship was sideways to the current. When the stern got deep into the water, the force of the current was too strong and it flipped the keel up under the pull of the stern anchors. Basically, she did everything as expected, she just could not stay upright to the force of the current against her side. 

Where is it now?

When the ship flipped over, the stern is sitting on the bottom, but the superstructure is supporting the min-ship and the bow is still sticking out of the water by about 30 feet The pictures in the paper of the bottom side of the bow sticking out of the surface is how it looks now. In addition, much of the superstructure has yet to touch bottom, so it would seem that she is still in very good condition. 

Other than the early sinking, did anything else go wrong?

To dispel any rumors (1) There is not and never were any explosives on the ship (2) No one was injured (3) It went down exactly in the location that was intended (4) No damaged has occurred to surrounding coral reefs and there is plenty of room for further work to take place on the ship without any mishap to natural resources in the area. There was some equipment lost by several volunteer workers (welders mostly) which will either be recovered OR replaced by the Key Largo Chamber of Commerce. 

What is going on now?

Last night I participated in meetings with three salvage companies from Miami and Ft. Lauderdale. Each provided us an assessment and a plan for righting the ship. We are now working to roll the ship upright to create a safer diving environment. Working with the Chamber of Commerce, Monroe County, the Sanctuary, TIB Bank, Community Bank, and First State Bank, we secured financing and hired Reliant Marine from Ft. Lauderdale to roll the ship upright. The majority of Reliant's tools and tug boat will be arriving on scene Tuesday Morning. In the meantime, local divers are beginning to recover the lost equipment this afternoon, and Reliant Marine's divers will begin doing under water surveys to determine the details of the project . In addition, Reliant is hopefully that they will have a compressor on site today to start pumping air back into the ship to add buoyancy.

THIS PROJECT IS FAR FROM OVER AND WILL BE AN AWESOME DIVE SITE! 

What about the Medallions? Our need for funds to create artificial reefs both now and for the future is still important and the Spiegrel Grove will be an awesome dive when it's ready. Stop at the Chamber office to purchade a medallion or click on this link  to order on-line.

Thank your for your support and I look forward to seeing all of you diving the Spiegel Grove soon!!! 

Return to newspaper story index

May 14: History, photos, & Key Largo arrival 
May 17: Breaking news & photos of the sinking
May 18: More stories & sinking sequence photos
May 19: Early plans to right her are forming
May 20: Underwater photos & interactive graphic
May 21: Exclusive eyewitness story
May 22: Crew heads south to begin work
May 23: The Lana Rose is on the scene
May 24: Efforts delayed due to weather
May 25: Project Chairman resigns, then talks
May 26: Spiegel Grove is not the first...
May 27: Salvor reveals righting plans
May 31:  Rolling date set.  Graphics & map
June 1:   Volunteers help salvor
June 2:   Work nearing completion
June 4:  A Friday flip?
June 5:  Use your mouse to right the ship!
June 6:  Sinking moved to Monday
June 7:  Attaching the lift bags
June 8:  Weather changes plans
June 9:  Tugboats arrive for final preparation
June 10: She's on the roll...and goes down
June 11:  Salvors are done...she's on her
               starboard side...and she is 
               WORLD FAMOUS!