Vandenberg, Octopus

Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenberg, a former military troop transport and former missile-tracking ship. Gross Tonnage (Volume): 17,120 tons. Length: 524 feet 10 inches • Beam: 71.5 feet • Draft: 24 feet. Height after sinking: 100 feet from keel to the highest point. Stacks, masts and antennas were trimmed to allow 40-45 feet of clearance from the surface.
On May 27, 2009 at 10:21 AM Vandenberg was sunk to become the largest artificial reef in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, and the second largest in the world. The ship settled upright on her keel in 1 minute 44 seconds, exactly as predicted by the many model tests performed to design the sink plan. Marine life began colonizing immediately and the ship is now home to pelagic and reef fish, and many other species of marine plants and animals