The Pensacola News Journal is doing an exceptionally fine job of telling the stories of the ceremony on May 13, speaking
with shipmates, adding photos, and will be keeping us all informed about the actual sinking. I hope you will turn to
their website to read all the latest. The articles are too numerous to copy/paste. I have printed all of the articles
for our scrapbooks at the Oriskany Museum. Thanks, News Journal, for the super reporting!!!
Thanks again to all of the faithful shipmates and friends who send alerts to the latest happenings. These
articles are of great help if you're planning to visit Pensacola during the time of the sinking! In Pensacola starting
May 12 LOOK FOR ORA MEMBERSHIP CHAIRMAN MIKE HAJEK AND THE MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE WHO WILL BE ON HAND IN VARIOUS LOCATIONS HOPING
TO RECRUIT NEW MEMBERS TO THE USS ORISKANY REUNION ASSOCIATION. The committee will also be available to meet already
registered members, and we all hope you'll find each other!
Karen,
I’ve been getting lots of calls from folks wondering
what activities will be going on in Pensacola for the weekend of the reception at the National
Museum of Naval Aviation on May 13th. To help spread the word, I would like to pass on some additional
Pensacola info for you –
Saturday May 13th and Sunday May 14th we
have arranged for charter boats to offer short trips to view the Oriskany dockside. This will be the best opportunity
to view her up close since access to her on base is very limited. Cost will be $10 per person (just to cover the captains’
expenses). Interested individuals should contact us through the message board at www.ussoriskanyonline.com or by e-mail at mbtjim@cox.net . Spaces are limited. Trips will take approximately 1 hour, and will run from 2-5pm on the 13th and 2-4pm on the 14th.
On Sunday, May 14th from 3-7pm, Kooter Browns West End will be hosting the official www.ussoriskanyonline.com happy hour in honor of former crew members. Kooter Browns is an important hangout for the Navy folks here
in Pensacola, and John and Dale Maxwell are eager to show everyone
a great time. This is best described as “the party away from the flagpole”. Former crew members are
encouraged to bring photo albums, cruise books, etc. and help share the stories of the past with each other and the “new
guys”. See www.ussoriskanyonline.com for more details.
Through
the weekend, MBT Divers will be hosting an open house which will provide
an opportunity for interested individuals to ask questions and view presentations concerning the future dive operations and
her future home. We are really trying to make her history an integral part of the experience for visiting divers.
We encourage all former crew members to come by to view and provide guidance on our displays dedicated towards this purpose.
We will also have the “mini Oriskany” mardi gras float on display.
We have blocked a large number of rooms for the weekend at the
Suburban Lodge in Pensacola. It’s a nice place, close to base, with
a discounted rate (I believe it’s $69 per night up to 4 people). As of Tuesday there were still lots of rooms
available. For reservations, folks can call (850) 453-4140 – tell them that MBT Divers referred you for the discounted rate. More information about them with pictures can be found at http://www.suburbanhotels.com/hotel-pensacola-florida-FL964 , search “Pensacola”.
All of the dates listed above are subject to change in the event
of another major delay in the project-extremely unlikely at this point. Updates to all activities can be found on the
message board at www.ussoriskanyonline.com
Thanks
for all of your hard work, and please let us know if we can ever be of help!
ORISKANY Frequently Asked Questions Q. When will the ex-ORISKANY be sunk?
A. The Navy
has established the notional sink date as May 17, 2006, subject to weather conditions. Q. Where
will the ex-ORISKANY be sunk?
A. Approximately 24 miles off the coast of Pensacola. The site
is part of the permitted Escambia East Large Area Artificial Reef site, which is 77 square miles. The proposed location is
30* 02' 38" N Lat 87* 00' 25" W Lon Q. How deep is the water
where the ship will be sunk?
A. Ex-ORISKANY will be sunk at a depth of 212 feet, at mean low water. This
will provide a 61 foot navigational clearance at mean low water above the ship if the ship settles on its keel. A 55-foot
minimum navigational clearance at mean low water is required by the Army Corps of Engineers permit. Q. Will
the Navy make other ships available to be sunk? When? What ships? How does the process work?
A. Yes, the
Navy has identified additional inactive ships that potentially can be donated for sinking and use as artificial reefs. These
ships are designated for disposal and may be utilized for artificial reefing, Navy deep-water sink exercises or domestic dismantling
based on the needs of the Navy to further reduce the size of its inactive ship inventory.
Additional ships may be added to this list as active ships are decommissioned and designated for disposal, and as
other inactive ships currently held in a retention status are redesignated for disposal. The Navy is currently working with
the AtlanticStates and Gulf
States Marine Fisheries Commissions on an improved process for transfer of ships to states once all efforts to sink ex-ORISKANY
are completed and lessons learned are incorporated in the transfer process. It is the Navy’s intent to start making
some of these ships available for application in the fall of 2006. Q. How will the ship be sunk? What types of explosives
will be used?
A. The sinking will be conducted in accordance with an engineered sink plan. Main sea chest
piping within eight machinery spaces will be breached by simultaneous detonations of small C4 explosive charges in 22 locations
internal to the ship. Progressive flooding will sink the ship. A one-mile stand-off zone will be established around the ship
during the sinking for the protection of public observers. Q. Will the public be able to see the sinking?
A.
A stand-off zone will be established around the perimeter of the ship during the sinking. The public may witness the sinking
of the ship outside of this stand-off zone, but because the explosives are internal to the ship and will not cause damage
to the hull, it is not likely that there will be anything to see except the ship slowly settling into the water over a five-hour
period. Q. How long will it take to sink the vessel?
A. From the time of the explosive
charges until the vessel is no longer visible will take about 5 hours. Q. Will the ship be open to the public at any time
prior to the sinking?
A. The ship is not being prepared for general public tours. While the ship is currently
accessible by a trained workforce conducting environmental and scuttling preparations, several fall and trip hazards exist
which make the ship unsuitable for touring by the general public. Q. Where will the vessel berthed in Pensacola ?
A. The ship will be berthed at Allegheny
Pier, on Pensacola Naval Air Station. Q. Will a memorial be held? If so, when and where?
A. The
Pensacola Bay Area Chamber of Commerce and the Naval Aviation Museum Foundation are making plans to conduct a memorial service
at the National Museum of Naval Aviation on May 13. ORISKANY veterans can register at the website www.Oriskanymemorial.com. The point of contact for this event is Debi Panyko, who can be reached at 850-438-4081. Q. How
soon after sinking can people dive on the vessel?
A. This will be determined by the State of Florida’s
Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Due to the possibility of air venting after sinking, the State is anticipating
to restrict diving for at least two days after the ship is sunk. Q. Have there been any modifications for diver safety?
A. Yes, FWC requested several modifications of the superstructure area that will be accessible to recreational
divers. These modifications included removal of protrusions on bulkheads and the removal of glass from windows. No safety
modifications were made below the flight deck. Q. Will the Navy/State put mooring points on the
ship to provide tie ups for diving?
A. This was considered by the State of Florida during its
inspections of ex-ORISKANY. The state determined that there were adequate existing features of the ship that will facilitate
anchoring points for dive boats. Q. What is special about the process to prepare the ex-ORISKANY as an artificial
reef?
A. The reefing of the ex-ORISKANY is the start of a completely new program for the Navy. It is the
first vessel that the Navy will sink intentionally to form an artificial reef. The authority was recently granted in the FY
04 National Defense Authorization Bill (HR 1588 Sec 1013), which permits decommissioned ships stricken from the Naval Vessel
Register to be transferred to States for use as artificial reefs. This was also the first time the Navy was using the Draft
National Guidance to prepare a vessel for reefing and the first time the Navy was seeking, for the reefing of the vessel,
a risk based disposal approval under 40 CFR 761.62(c). Q. How did the Navy clean the vessel?
A.
The new national cleanup guidance identifies materials of concern that may be found aboard vessels, likely areas where they
may be found, and cleanup goals. Using survey information, the Navy removed oil and fuel, asbestos, certain paints, and loose
debris as recommended by the guidance. We also identified and removed all liquid Q. What sort of remediation
has been done to the vessel?
A. The environmental remediation actions are defined in the EPA’s BMP
document. The Navy’s contract with Resolve Marine Group/ESCO Marine Joint Venture, awarded in Sep 03, was based on the
draft EPA BMP document. The scope of work to prepare ex-ORISKANY for sinking as an artificial reef included removal/disposal
of liquid hydrocarbons (fuels and oils) throughout the ship so that the ship is essentially petroleum free; removal/disposal
of any loose or detached friable asbestos containing material; removal/ disposal of all capacitors, transformers or other
liquid PCB containing components; removal and disposal of all loose paint accumulated on deck surfaces, bulkheads and overhead
areas; removal/disposal of trash, loose debris, cleaning materials, and any floatable materials not permanently attached to
the ship or that could be transported in the water column during sinking; removal/disposal of batteries, halon, mercury, antifreeze,
coolants, fire extinguishing agents, black and gray water, and chromated ballast water. Most of this work was completed in
December 2004, with final cleaning completed in Beaumont, TX, while
the ship awaited tow in February and March 2006. Q. How was the ex-ORISKANY reefing preparation plan
developed?
A. The ex-ORISKANY reefing preparation plan was developed using the Draft National Guidance:
Best Management Practices for Preparing Vessels Intended to Create Artificial Reefs. It was the first application of the Draft National Guidance to a vessel being prepared as a reef. Q. What
documentation did Navy have available to support the environmental cleaning associated with the reefing preparation of the
ex-ORISKANY in accordance with the Draft National Guidance?
A. Navy, as a part of its inactivation process
for every vessel, performs many types of surveys. For the ex-ORISKANY, these surveys included documentation on the liquids (oils, fuels, water), asbestos, PCBs, Freon, mercury,
and radiological materials that had been onboard and removed from the vessel. These documents provided a valuable baseline
for the Navy as the statement of work was developed and for the Navy contractor performing the work. Navy personnel worked
closely with the contractor to inspect for any materials not on the inventories, which required management. When there was
a question about proper management for a material, appropriate sampling and analysis was completed. The results of that analytical
work were coordinated with the appropriate regulatory authority. Q. Is there any concern about debris or oil on the
water surface after the ship goes down?
A. Some debris is expected to be released from the ship due to the
force of rising water within the hull. To prepare for this, the same contractor that has completed environmental remediation
of the ship will also be on site for two days after the sinking with clean-up vessels equipped with skimmers. Q. What
will happen to the equipment that is onboard the ex-ORISKANY during the sinking?
A. There will be a small
“float-off” package remaining after the ship goes down. This is a small boat that contains the monitoring equipment
used by the operations team, a small generator used to power this equipment and support the team that will be onboard during
the tow, and the fuel bladder for the generator. This boat will be retrieved immediately after the sinking by an operations
support vessel. The use of this float-off package will prevent contamination of the ship during the sinking. Q. What
are the plans to protect the ship if bad weather (e.g. Hurricane) occurs while it is berthed in Pensacola?
A. The 2006 hurricane season does
not begin until June 1, 2006. NAS Pensacola will assist with
heavy weather mooring as necessary during the month of May Q. Why did the ex-ORISKANY require special approval
from the EPA to sink the vessel?
A. There are solid PCB containing materials onboard the ex-ORISKANY, typical
of virtually all other ships built before the 1980s. After cleaning, some of these solid PCB containing materials still remain
onboard the ex-ORISKANY. EPA has granted a risk-based disposal approval to allow solid PCB containing materials to remain
onboard, based on the Navy’s demonstration that the risks to people using the reef, and plants and animals living and
feeding on the reef, are acceptable.
Navy was issued the risk-based Polychlorinated Biphenyl (PCB) disposal approval
from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region IV on February 15, 2006. The risk-based
PCB disposal approval was issued pursuant to EPA regulations and is based on EPA’s findings that the disposal action
will not pose an unreasonable risk of injury to health or the environment. Q. What happens to the vessel
now that remediation is complete?
A. The ship was towed to Pensacola, Florida where final preparations
for the sinking are continuing, including dogging manholes and hatches open or shut and cutting bulkhead openings in accordance
with sink plan requirements to ensure proper flooding. Explosive charges will be placed at each designated location and detonation
cords will be run to the main deck in preparation for the final demolition priming at the sink site. Q. How
has EPA been involved in the development of the Prospective Risk Assessment Model (PRAM)?
A. From the very
initiation of PRAM in 2001, the Navy has involved EPA in the design of model in periodic working group meetings throughout
its development. In August 2004, EPA assigned personnel from their Office of Research and Development to review the current
version of PRAM.
From this, EPA ORD identified changes to increase the conservatism of the model, and to expand the
capacity of the model to include ecological risk assessments, and to develop and integrate a time delay model to assess the
effects over the initial one to two years after sinking of a ship with some solid PCB containing materials onboard.
Upon
delivery of PRAM and the ex-ORISKANY risk assessments to EPA in mid-June 2005, EPA Region 4 conducted an internal peer review
of PRAM and the ex-ORISKANY risk assessments while an external peer review was conducted by the EPA Science Advisory Board
(www.epa.gov/sab). The SAB completed their review on October 12, 2005. Q. How
much money has the Navy spent on ex-ORISKANY with all the delays? Isn’t this effort becoming unaffordable? Wouldn’t
it have just been cheaper to scrap her after all?
A. Upon completion of the project, the Navy will have
spent $ 13.29M on ex-ORISKANY to complete the environmental preparations for reefing in conformance with EPA guidance, to
accomplish the sink preparations to allow internal flooding of the ship and to execute the scuttling event, $3.07M on towing
and berthing, and $ 4.1M on the development and updating of the Prospective Risk Assessment Model to assess the risks associated
with sinking ships as artificial reefs and ex-ORISKANY risk assessments. Of this amount, $ 1.0M is to be reimbursed by EscambiaCounty as provided
in the State of Florida’s November 2003 application for the ship.
The
$ 13.29 M expended on the environmental preparations in conformance with EPA’s draft Best Management Practices guidance
document, accomplishing the sink preparations and executing the sink event is still less than the cost of dismantling this
ship. The sink event includes maintaining a stand-off perimeter from the ship at the reef site before sinking, securing the
ship in the 4-point mooring, conducting the event, and picking up any debris on the water surface resulting from the sinking.
This is still less than the cost of ship dismantling.
Based on the Navy’s actual cost experience of domestically
dismantling and recycling 36 frigates, destroyers, and cruisers over the past five years, dismantling of the 32,000 ton ex-ORISKANY
would cost approximately $ 24M. The cost of development of the Prospective Risk Assessment Model (PRAM) is an investment in
the future. It will enable the Navy to assess the risks of solid PCB containing materials on any ship to be sunk as an artificial
reef, in order to ensure that the vessel will not present an unacceptable risk to the environment or human health.
Validation
of the PRAM through the peer reviews conducted by EPA will facilitate a streamlined and efficient process for subsequent ships.
The Navy is working on a national permit based on PRAM that will give Navy artificial reefing authority to efficiently transfer
additional ships to States for sinking as artificial reefs.
The PRAM could also be utilized to assess the risks of
solid PCB containing materials on MARAD ships to be sunk as an artificial reef. Overall, a RAND Corp report in 2001 estimated
that reefing obsolete Navy and Maritime Administration (MARAD) ships could save taxpayers as much as $1.5 billion compared
to having a total dependence on domestic ship dismantling as a method of reducing the Navy and MARAD's inactive ship inventories. Q. Who
will pay for berthing the ship in Pensacola ? How much will this cost?
A. Navy Inactive Ships will be responsible for the cost berthing the
ship and will reimburse the Naval Air Station Pensacola $200K for the cost of berthing the ship during it final sink preparations.
Q. What challenges did the Navy and its contractors face to seek this approval?
A.
Since the ex-ORISKANY reef is not yet established, sampling the water or fish at the proposed site would not tell us anything
about the safety of the future artificial reef. Because of this, the Navy had to develop a highly sophisticated computer model
to predict conditions on the future ex-ORISKANY reef.
The PCB concentrations predicted by the computer models were
then used to complete a human health risk assessment and an ecological risk assessment. Quality assurance and data validation
at each step in the process was Navy’s highest priority to ensure that the new reef would be truly protective of human
health and the environment.
This is an official U.S. Navy Website Last Updated: 13-Apr-2006 http://peoships.crane.navy.mil/reefing/oriskanyfaqs.htm --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Contributed, YNCS Don Harribine,
USN(ret)
A
few days after retired Vice Adm. Jack Fetterman underwent surgery last fall, his friend and Community Maritime Park associate
Quint Studer stopped by Sacred Heart Hospital for a visit.
"When I got to the room, he was asleep," Studer recalled.
"After a few minutes, he woke up suddenly, saw me, and the very first words out of his mouth were, 'I think I've found another
$12 million.' "
Studer wasn't surprised by the admiral awakening with thoughts of $12 million for a maritime museum,
which is to be a key element of the park, on his mind.
Adm. Fetterman, who died Friday at the age of 73, was that type
of man, Studer said. He was a tireless civic leader who dreamed big, never stopped working for Pensacola and always was thinking
of how to make it a better place to live.
"He never, ever bragged about his accomplishments," Studer said. "What drove
him was that he had tremendous empathy for others. He was short in stature, but a giant in heart. I think God gave him an
extra dose of optimism."
Adm. Fetterman's death leaves a huge hole in the ranks of Pensacola Bay Area civic leadership.
"I
don't think that anybody else can come close to matching his involvement in this community," said Pensacola banker and community
activist Buzz Ritchie. "He's had a huge impact on our area, and his death leaves a major void."
The former Navy fighter
pilot and chief of Naval Education and Training enjoyed invaluable connections to the power brokers in Washington, D.C., and
at the Pentagon.
Along with University of West Florida President John Cavanaugh and Studer, Adm. Fetterman was one
of the three principal proponents for the proposed Community Maritime Park. Approval for the park is expected Monday when
the Pensacola City Council meets on the issue.
And Adm. Fetterman largely was responsible for bringing the Oriskany,
a decommissioned aircraft carrier, to Pensacola to be sunk in May in the Gulf of Mexico as an artificial reef. After more
than a year of political wrangling, the Oriskany arrived in Pensacola last week.
Adm. Fetterman had planned to visit
the ship, temporarily moored at Pensacola Naval Air Station, on Saturday. He had planned to speak about the park before the
City Council on Monday.
"We knew he had health challenges, and we have been preparing to carry on," said Mort O'Sullivan,
a Pensacola accountant and financial adviser for the Community Maritime Park. "I think because of his death, everyone is more
energized and more motivated than ever to see this project through."
Adm. Fetterman's death also comes at a critical
time for the Military Regional Oversight Committee, a group of about 20 leaders from Escambia and Santa Rosa counties that
lobbies to keep area bases open. It was co-founded by Adm. Fetterman in 1995.
The committee had some key wins during
last year's round of the Base Realignment and Closure process when the area was able to keep 800 jobs the Department of Defense
initially recommended be eliminated or sent elsewhere. Adm. Fetterman had argued at a regional hearing to keep those jobs.
With
thousands of military and civilian jobs coming to Eglin and Hurlburt Air Force bases in the near future, the committee is
planning to expand to include Okaloosa and Walton counties' leaders in the group.
"I have grave concern. No one will
ever replace Adm. Fetterman," said Santa Rosa County Commissioner Don Salter, who has served on the committee since it started.
"I
just hope within the region we can find someone who will step up and provide similar regional leadership. Otherwise, we stand
a chance of seeing that regional leadership go away without Jack Fetterman."
The group also stands to lose Adm. Fetterman's
political and military connections.
His connections gave the group an edge over other communities that were lobbying
to get the jobs away from Pensacola, Salter said.
"He could get us to the top, and other communities did not have that
luxury," Salter said.
Committee Chairman Pete Gandy, CEO of Santa Rosa Medical Center, also said Adm. Fetterman's access
was unmatched.
"He had access to anyone in the Pentagon, the Navy and congressional leaders," he said. "He was recognized
by all as the expert."
But Gandy is confident the committee will carry on.
"There's an awful lot of good folks
in the military community here," he said.
Adm. Fetterman became president and CEO of the Naval Aviation Museum Foundation
in 1993. He retired Wednesday.
A search committee for the admiral's replacement was formed before his retirement. A
new CEO is expected to be announced by May.
"There's a big void, no question about it," said retired Navy Capt. Bob
Rasmussen, the museum's director. "He set the tone, the character and direction of the foundation."
Published - March,
17, 2006
Oriskany leaves Texas, should be at NAS on Monday or Tuesday
From staff reports
The
decommissioned aircraft carrier Oriskany left Beaumont, Texas, on Thursday
at 9:55 a.m. and should arrive at Pensacola Naval Air Station on Monday or Tuesday.
The long-awaited departure of the veteran of the Korean and Vietnam wars was delayed last week because of high winds in Texas. However, by Thursday, seas were calm and tow boats began pulling the rusting aircraft
carrier on its 600-mile journey.
The ship will be cleaned at Pensacola Naval Air Station,
then towed 22.5 miles offshore, where it will be sunk as an artificial reef and diving spot. The U.S. Navy said the Oriskany
could be sunk May 17 if weather permits.
The ship is expected to draw hundreds of divers
and could generate more than $90 million in economic benefits for the Pensacola area every
year, a FloridaStateUniversity study has suggested.
Published - March,
21, 2006
Oriskany's arrival delayed until Wednesday at the earliest
From staff reports
The
Oriskany, which was expected to arrive at the Pensacola Naval Air Station on Sunday or Monday, will not arrive until Wednesday,
at the earliest, said Harry White, a spokesman for Pensacola NAS.
The decommissioned aircraft carrier, which left Texas last Thursday on the 600-mile trip, was delayed because of high winds, he said.
Once the "Mighty O" arrives, it will be cleaned and prepared to be sunk in May to become an artificial
reef more than 20 miles south of Pensacola.
It
was almost three years in the making, but the rusting hulk of the warship once known as ''the Mighty O" has arrived at Pensacola
for its final shakedown.
With
tugboats guiding the powerless ship through calm seas at less than 2 mph, the decommissioned USS Oriskany took all afternoon
Wednesday to dock at Allegheny Pier at the southeastern tip of the Pensacola Naval Air Station.
The
aircraft carrier will become the largest ship ever to be sunk as an artificial reef and scuba-diving attraction, and diving
enthusiasts lauded its long-delayed arrival Wednesday.
"This is a dream come true,"
said Robert Turpin, EscambiaCounty's marine
resources chief who is credited with getting the ball rolling on the multi-govermental effort that allowed the Oriskany to
be reefed off Pensacola.
Although
the arrival of the 56-year-old ship from its temporary berth in Beaumont,
Texas, was delayed by more than a week because of rough seas, that should not
postpone the ship's planned May 17 sinking date, said Harry White, public affairs officer for the Naval Air Station.
By May 17, the 880-foot ship should be ready for its final resting place, about 24 miles offshore.
Resolve Marine Co. of Fort Lauderdale and Esco Marine Co. of Brownsville,
Texas, are set to begin work today on cleaning contaminants
from the decommissioned aircraft carrier and cutting holes in the hull.
No visitors
will be allowed at the pier while crews ready the ship for sinking, officials said. Once the ship is sunk, divers and anglers
should be allowed within 48 hours.
"A lot of people said it wasn't coming back," said
Gary Toms, owner of Dive Pros scuba shop in Pensacola. "But
now we're kind of going, 'I told you so.' People will be coming from all over the world to dive this thing."
Sylvia Olvera, who helped prepare for the arrival of the retired aircraft carrier the Oriskany,
waves to other workers on Wednesday. The decommissioned ship will be cleaned in preparation to be sunk in May, when it is
to become an artificial reef more than 20 miles south of Pensacola. Ben Twingley
The Oriskany is tied up at the Pensacola NAS pier Wednesday after making a 600 mile trip from
Texas. Ben Twingley
The retired aircraft carrier Oriskany departed from Beaumont, Texas on March 16, 2006 (on a 3-4 day tow, weather permitting)
heading for Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida, where the Navy's contractor will accomplish the final reef preparations. The
vessel will be reefed in May 2006 at an existing artificial reef site selected by the State of Florida, approximately 24 miles
off the coast of Pensacola.
The reefing will be accomplished with controlled charges in 212 feet of water 22.5 miles southeast of Pensacola. The final
date of the event will be established after the Environmental Protection Agency issues a permit for the reefing.
Prior to the event, a memorial service will be conducted at the National Museum of Naval Aviation to pay tribute to the crew
and the ship that has provided exemplary service to our Navy and country.
The carrier, built at the New York Naval Shipyard in 1945 and a combat veteran of the Korean and Vietnam wars would not
only be the largest vessel purposely sunk as a reef, but become the largest artificial reef in the world!
At 888 feet in length, the"Mighty O” will become a fishing hot spot and an exceptional destination for divers year-round.
Divers will have the opportunity to swim with Goliath grouper, ocean sunfish and eagle rays. Anglers will be able to reel
in popular game fish such as grouper, snapper and amberjack.
For more information about the Oriskany, visit one of the following links below:
March 17, 2006, 10:12AM Aircraft carrier to become largest manmade reef
Associated Press
BEAUMONT - A 55-year-old aircraft carrier that saw action in Korea and Vietnam began its final voyage
Thursday, headed for burial at sea.
The former USS Oriskany left the Beaumont Ready Reserve Fleet for Pensacola, Fla., where it will become
the world's largest manmade reef, the Beaumont Enterprise reported Thursday.
The 888-foot-long ship, known as the "Mighty O," was home base to U.S. Sen. John McCain in Vietnam
and was featured in war movies of the 1950s.
Manmade reefs provide a safe way to dispose of old vessels that also fosters a rich marine habitat
and opportunities for sport fishing and deep-sea diving, Navy authorities said.
The ex-Oriskany's final resting place will be 24 miles off the coast of Pensacola and 212 feet under
water. The sinking is planned for May 17.
News item written by Robert Turpin March 2006:
To all interested in viewing the USS Oriskany in Pensacola in May 2006, please read.....
Although there is a target date for 15-17 May, I'd wait until the ship arrives in Pensacola before I made any reservations.
I don't mean to sound cynical, but I have seen this project take some weird turns, and I wouldn't want to see any Oriskany
vets lose a reservation deposit. It should get here in the next week or so, and I doubt that would make much difference
in ability to make plans. Also, I am waiting on a firm price quote for a large charterboat out of Destin. I spoke to
the Captain the other day & he said he'd send something this week. My County bosses are telling me they are not making arrangements
to charter any boats, and the Navy is saying the same thing. I will forward you the info I get on the big Destin
boat, and if the Oriskany Association has enough people to charter it, they can fit over a hundred people on it for
probably around $50/person. I haven't seen any advertisements from other charterboats, but I imagine that will be a pretty
good deal. The biggest problem I see for this (and one of the reasons the County doesn't want to take responsibility
for arranging boat rides) is the possibility of a weather delay. Boat Captains could have a different cancellation policy
than the "go/no-go" decision to reef the Oriskany (or there could be other delays), and those boat captains will want to
be paid. I doubt they'd give anybody a free trip a day or two later, and they County doesn't want to get tangled up
in that mess! Also, there is the chance the reefing might have to go sooner if the weather forecast gave reason to do
so. As you can see, there are a lot of uncertainties. However, there will (if the ship arrives as scheduled) be a ceremony
at the National Museum of Naval Aviation (NAS Pensacola) on 13 May. It is indoors, and not subject to all of the uncertainties
mentioned above. That is going to be a wonderful chance for those who served on the Mighty O to get together & celebrate
her next 'tour of duty'. Please forward this to your shipmates & other interested parties. Robert Turpin, Chief Escambia
County Marine Resources Division
PENSACOLA, Florida (AP) -- The "Mighty O" saw action in Korea and Vietnam and was home base
of U.S. Sen. John McCain before he was taken captive by the North Vietnamese, but the aircraft carrier's greatest fame could
come when it's on the ocean floor.
If all goes according to plan, explosives will be placed throughout the largely hollowed-out shell of the USS Oriskany
in May and it will plummet 210 feet to the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico.
The ship, featured in the films "The Bridges of Toko Ri" and "The Men of the Fighting Lady," will become the world's largest
intentionally created man-made reef, drawing divers and sport fisherman worldwide.
Eileen Beard, who owns the Scuba Shack, a local dive shop, said she and many other divers are making plans to explore the
Oriskany underwater this year.
"From the moment she goes down, she'll create sounds in the water and the sandstorm that she will cause will draw fish
that want to see what it is. It will begin to attract life immediately," Beard said. "We have had calls from England, Germany,
Japan, Thailand. They are all ready to dive the Oriskany."
After nearly two years of delays since the Navy first announced Pensacola as the site of a pilot program to reef old warships,
the Environmental Protection Agency gave final approval in February to sink the ship.
Local leaders are counting on the sinking to bring their city's tourism industry out of a hurricane-induced slump.
"In the long haul you are looking at the rebirth of one of the historically successful industries of Pensacola, that's
the fishing and diving industry. The Oriskany puts Pensacola on the plans for virtually any diver and fisherman in the country,"
said Ed Schroeder, tourism director for the Pensacola Bay Area Chamber of Commerce.
More than 2,500 Oriskany veterans made plans to come to Pensacola for the first scheduled sinking of the Oriskany in the
summer of 2004. The group was courting McCain as their keynote speaker.
But the sinking never took place. The Oriskany was not towed to Pensacola until December 2004; it was then towed back to
Texas in June to ride out the 2005 hurricane season.
Now the Navy plans to tow the Oriskany from Beaumont, Texas, back to Pensacola in March to begin the three-month process
of preparing the ship for sinking.
Retired Vice Adm. Jack Fetterman, president and CEO of the Naval Aviation Museum Foundation and a longtime advocate for
the Oriskany project, said the ship could be sunk May 15, but that date could change.
Regardless of the exact date the ship goes down, a celebration will soon be in order.
"Now that we have the permit and we are all set with the tentative date .... this is a big feat for Pensacola," Fetterman
said.
If the Oriskany goes down as planned, 23 ships that are part of the Navy's inactive fleet could become eligible for sinking.
Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Find this article at: http://www.cnn.com/2006/TRAVEL/03/03/manmade.reef.ap/index.html
PLANNING FOR A CHARTER BOAT TO WATCH SINKING
To all those interested, I spoke to Phil Cartwright (President, Oriskany Reunion Assoc.) this
afternoon.
Apparently they are planning to sink the Oriskany on Wednesday the 17th of May, would have been
nicer on a weekend, but oh well. Phil is setting up a tour boat to go out and watch the sinking, from what I understand
this will pretty much be an all day affair. He can take 30 souls total at $100.00 each, Deposit of $50.00 each for a total
of $1500.00 must be paid by 10 March to guarantee the boat will be available. I am certainly going to try and go, but
I am between jobs right now and won't be able to confirm for a few days yet.
I am including Phil's contact info for anyone interested, I expect this boat will fill fast,
hundreds of shipmates and other interested parties are getting in on the act as we speak, big crowd by any estimation.
Phil is also in the process of setting up accommodations with a good rate and block of rooms...details
to follow from him. I also understand there will be some sort of reception on Saturday the 13th as well.
Phillip Cartwright
President, Oriskany Reunion Association
P.O. Box 24
Augusta, AR 72006
(870) 347-1020 - Home
(501) 516-5824 - Cell
Published - March, 2, 2006 Oriskany sinking set for
May 17 William Rabb @PensacolaNewsJournal.com If all goes according to plan, the Oriskany
will sink to the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico on May 17, and scuba divers could be allowed on the decommissioned aircraft
carrier as soon as two days later, local and Navy officials said Wednesday.
"To all those disbelievers
who said this would never happen, I accept your apologies," joked retired Vice Adm. Jack Fetterman, who has spearheaded the
effort to secure the famed Navy ship, during a meeting on the project at the Pensacola Bay Area Chamber of Commerce.
The Oriskany, which saw duty in the Korean and Vietnam wars, will become the first aircraft carrier to be scuttled
deliberately as an artificial reef so close to shore -- 22.5 miles south of Pensacola.
The
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency gave final approval for the sinking last month. Navy officials said Wednesday that the
ship should return to the Pensacola Naval Air Station next Wednesday from Texas, where it rode out the 2005 hurricane season.
Work will begin shortly to clean it up and prepare it for sinking, said Capt. Pete Frano, commanding officer of
Pensacola NAS.
Navy and county officials outlined several key points about the sinking, which
has been three years in the making and is expected to draw hundreds of tourists annually:
·
No one other than workers will be allowed on the ship while it is being prepared for sinking, and while it is being towed
to sea.
· No ceremonies will be conducted when tugs begin towing the Oriskany out to sea, probably
around May 15, because explosives already will be on board. Instead, a special ceremony for former crew members and invited
guests will be conducted May 13 at the National Museum of Naval Aviation at Pensacola NAS.
·
Private boats will be allowed to witness the sinking but must stay at least a mile away from the Oriskany at all times. The
sinking will commence at first light on May 17, and it could take all day for the ship's hull to fill with water.
· The 48- to 96-hour wait period is necessary before diving is allowed to make sure no material breaks loose from
the 888-foot carrier. Security boats will be on hand to keep divers away until safety is assured, officials said.
· The coordinates of the sinking location are: 30 degrees, 2 minutes north latitude, and 87 degrees, 0 minutes
west longitude, said Robert Turpin, Escambia County's chief of marine resources.
· National
Geographic filmmakers are expected to document the entire preparation and scuttling process.
February 16, 2006
Thank you to everyone who has submitted information on the latest news about the USS Oriskany!
FLORIDA EPA permits Navy to sink old warship
PENSACOLA - The Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday cleared the
Navy to sink the carrier USS Oriskany off Pensacola Beach in May, jump-starting long-delayed plans for a new program to
turn old warships into artificial reefs. The agency issued a permit for disposal of toxins known as polychlorinated
biphenyls, or PCBs, contained in the ship's electrical cable, insulation and paint. The permit was the final hurdle
Navy leaders needed before returning the famed Korean and Vietnam War carrier from a shipyard in Beaumont, Texas, to Pensacola. The
Oriskany is the first of more than 20 ships the Navy hopes to dispose of through reefing. The target date for sinking the
ship is May 15.
From wire reports Brought to you by the HoustonChronicle.com
Plan to sink carrier, create reef back on track
By Troy Moon Pensacola (Fla.) News Journal February
13, 2006
The decommissioned carrier Oriskany could be back in Pensacola in less than month for final preparations
for its long-anticipated trip to the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico.The Environmental Protection Agency expects to issue a sink
permit for the Oriskany later this month, clearing the way for the former Navy aircraft carrier to be towed from Texas to
Pensacola in March.
The sinking could occur in May if all goes according to schedule.“The Oriskany is back on
again,” said retired Navy Vice Adm. Jack Fetterman, who has spearheaded the local effort to bring the ship to Pensacola
to be sunk 22.5 miles south of the city before hurricane season begins June 1. “I don’t see any obstacles that
will slow it down.”
The plan is to turn the 888-foot flattop — a celebrated veteran of the Korean and Vietnam
wars — into an artificial reef that would serve as an international fishing and diving destination.Navy officials had
hoped to sink the Oriskany in 2004, but the EPA refused to issue a sink permit because of environmental concerns. The EPA
since has determined that the 700 pounds of polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, left on board the ship don’t pose an
unreasonable risk to human or marine life.
The only hurdle remaining, EPA spokeswoman Laura Niles said, is to finalize
the agency’s response to public input gathered from area residents and officials. The public had through Jan. 19 to
comment on the proposed sinking.“As of right now, things are looking good,” said Niles, spokeswoman for EPA’s
Region Four, which includes Florida. Fetterman said the ship could be towed from Texas to Pensacola on March 2 and arrive
in Pensacola five days later.
The Oriskany will be temporarily moored at Pensacola Naval Air Station while crews prepare
the ship for sinking. Fetterman said that, barring obstacles, the ship could be sunk around May 15. The ship was moored
at the Port of Pensacola for seven months awaiting the sink permit but was towed in June to Beaumont, Texas, to ride out the
2005 hurricane season.
Diving fans are excited about the prospects of the Oriskany reef project, which is expected
to produce a financial boon for diving and fishing outfits and related tourism businesses.“It will allow Pensacola
to finally become a regular tourist destination,” said Jim Phillips, co-owner of MBT Divers in Warrington. “Everybody
is chomping at the bit to get on it.’ --------------------------------------------------------------------- Contributed, YNCS
Don Harribine, USN(ret)
On January 13, 2006, there was an article about the USS Oriskany in the Utica Observer Dispatch.
To read this article, go to uticaod.com and look under the local news.
Published - January, 11, 2006 Full steam ahead for
Oriskany sinking Aircraft carrier could be sunk before next hurricane season
Lynette Wilson @PensacolaNewsJournal.com If all goes according to plan, the Oriskany
could take its placeas a fishing reef on the Gulf of Mexico's floor by June 1, just in time to beat the 2006 hurricane season.
Capt. Larry Jones oversees the Navy's inactive ship program, and he doesn't plan to haul the Oriskany back to Pensacola
from Beaumont, Texas, unless he can sink it, he said.
"I know you want it. I want you to have
it," Jones told a crowd of more than 100 people gathered for a public hearing on the decommissioned aircraft carrier's fate
Tuesday. "That's why we are here to address the PCB issue first and foremost."
The EPA has
determined that the 700 pounds of polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, left on board primarily in the Oriskany's electrical
wiring don't pose an unreasonable risk to human or marine life.
Federal Environmental Protection
Agency and U.S. Navy officials outlined the Oriskany's status Tuesday and responded to questions and concerns at a Pensacola
Junior College forum. The public has until Jan. 19 to comment on the proposed sinking. Once the comments are reviewed, the
EPA likely will approve the sinking of the ship.
Craig Brown, EPA's project manager for the
Oriskany, has received more than 150 letters and e-mail messages in support of sinking the ship, and not one in opposition,
he said.
The plan is to turn the 888-foot flattop used in the Korean and Vietnam wars into
an international fishing and diving destination, the pilot project for a new program to cheaply dispose of decommissioned
vessels to the benefit of coastal communities throughout the nation.
The only other aircraft
carrier available for diving is in Bikini Atoll, in the southwest Pacific, said Fritz Sharar, co-owner of MBT Divers of Pensacola.
"This will be one of a kind (in the nation)," he said.
EPA approval is what has
kept the Oriskany afloat as projected sink dates have slipped by, beginning in September 2004.
Studies
have shown that PCBs cause cancer and have harmful effects on the endocrine, immune and nervous systems of humans and animals.
PCBs are persistent and don't readily breakdown in the environment.
Ken Mitchell, a section
chief in EPA Region 4, described a diver's risk of PCB exposure as minimal given the short amount of time spent diving and
the route of exposure. The most likely exposure route is through eating contaminated fish or swallowing contaminated water.
That threat also is minimized because the PCBs are in solid form and are, for the most part, insoluble in water, he said.
Thanks to Todd Humiston of Rome NY for forwarding this article!
Pensacola News Journal October 2, 2005 Mighty O, Mighty Bill $2.8 million project now $12.73 million and counting By Brett Norman This time last year, Navy officials
had hoped to scuttle the aircraft carrier Oriskany 22½ miles southeast of Pensacola Pass as the world's largest artificial
reef project.
Congress had committed $2.8 million to turn the 888-foot flattop used in the
Korean and Vietnam wars into an international fishing and diving destination, the pilot project for a new program to cheaply
dispose of decommissioned vessels to the benefit of coastal communities throughout the country.
Twelve months later, the Navy has spent $12.73 million, more than 4½ times
the original budget. The bill is growing, and there still are no guarantees the costly efforts will come to fruition.
As for the Oriskany, which was moored at the Port of Pensacola for seven months
awaiting a sink permit from the Environmental Protection Agency, it was towed in June to Beaumont, Texas, to ride out the
hurricane season. Although Hurricane Rita hit near Beaumont, the ship escaped damage.
When the Oriskany project was first announced, Pensacola's tourism, fishing
and diving industries were giddy with expectations of an economic bonanza from the thousands of tourists from around the world
expected to be drawn to the reef.
Now, many of those with a stake in the project are frustrated and cynical,
saying the Oriskany saga has become the epitome of bureaucracy.
"It's far beyond mind-boggling. No matter what you try to do, it's just red
tape after red tape after red tape, and it never, ever ends," said Paul Redman, president of the Pensacola Charter Boat Association.
"With all the money we've sunk into this thing, we probably could have built
three replicas out of clean steel. It might be funny if there weren't so much money involved."
Retired Vice Adm. Jack Fetterman, who was instrumental in luring the Oriskany
to Pensacola, said he has pleaded with officials for months to "just sink the thing and be done with it."
"I don't think the Navy expected in their wildest dreams it would be this
difficult," he said. "I would not like to be the program manager trying to explain to my boss how the price has become this
astronomical. But I've got a certain comfort level that it will be back. They've got too much invested in it."
In defense of the repeated delays and escalating cost, Navy and EPA officials
point out that the Oriskany effort is the first of its kind, the precedent for a potentially large-scale artificial reefing
program.
Retired ships currently are scrapped, transformed into museums, sold to allied
foreign militaries or sunk in Naval fleet exercises. But up to 23 vessels in the Navy's Inactive Fleet and others in the custody
of the Maritime Administration could become eligible for reefing if the Oriskany project is completed successfully.
"We want to get it right the first time so we can use it as a model to streamline
the process for future ships," said Pat Dolan, department director for the congressional and public affairs office of the
Naval Sea Systems Command, which oversees the Inactive Fleet.
Even at $12.73 million, Navy officials say, the Oriskany reef would be a bargain.
Under the current options, scrapping a ship its size normally would cost $24 million, Dolan said.
Pensacola lobbied for the project In April 2004, after heavy
lobbying, Pensacola was chosen over communities in Mississippi, Texas, South Carolina, Georgia and South Florida as the Oriskany's
final resting place
At the time, the 32,000-ton ship was in Corpus Christi, Texas, where it had
been towed from Beaumont to be stripped of carcinogenic polychlorinated biphenyls and other hazardous materials and prepared
for sinking in September.
Resolve Marine Group/Esco Marine Joint Venture won the $2.1 million contract
to remove contaminants. An additional $700,000 was allocated for other expenses associated with the sinking, such as towing.
Crews removed all liquids and 42 tons of bulkhead insulation containing PCBs,
but about 700 pounds of the carcinogen remained in the form of rubber products and foam gaskets, electrical cable, insulation,
plastics, and applied heat-resistant paint.
The Navy said it couldn't remove the rest without completely dismantling ship,
so the EPA said a PCB-disposal permit would be required along with a complex theoretical computer simulation called a prospective
risk assessment model that would gauge the impact of PCBs and other toxins on the environment, said Laura Niles, EPA Region
4 spokeswoman in Atlanta. So far, the model has cost $3.25 million and has yet to be approved.
Plans begin to derail, price tag swells All indications were
that things were going according to plan -- albeit a more expensive plan. In June 2004, Escambia County chief of marine
resources Robert Turpin visited Corpus Christi and estimated preparations were 86 percent complete, on schedule for the Oriskany's
target delivery to Pensacola in August.
Fetterman had floated plans for a possible live-broadcast, ship-side ceremony
before the sinking. He expected more than 2,000 Oriskany veterans to come to town for the occasion and was courting U.S. Sen.
John McCain, R-Ariz., who flew from the ship during the Vietnam War, to be keynote speaker.
In late July, Dolan still said the ship was expected to arrive within a few
weeks, after the Navy and EPA worked out lingering environmental concerns.
Those lingering concerns derailed the process in August. That's when the
Navy submitted its first risk assessment model for review. The EPA rejected it a month later, asking the Navy to justify its
assumptions and validate the theories against real-world data, according to EPA documents.
Also in August, elevated levels of PCBs were discovered in the carrier's wooden
flight deck, requiring a major, unanticipated demolition effort.
In an e-mail exchange, Niles said the contamination would have been foreseeable
"only if it were known that PCB hydraulic fluids had indeed been used for the original hydraulic catapult system."
The cost of removal: about half of the $7.63 million spent to date on environmental
preparations, said Glen Clark, deputy program manager for the Inactive Fleet.
"Our original estimate underestimated the scope of the work on this project,"
he said. Scientists called in to assess risks After the risk assessment model failed, Navy officials had to
recalibrate expectations. The Oriskany would not go down anytime soon as the Navy's scientists sought to address EPA objections
to the model and crews worked to get rid of the flight deck.
The Navy set a goal of supplying a revised risk assessment by December, but
there would be a new obstacle in the permitting process.
Independent scientists would have to review the Navy's model before the EPA
would sign off on it. "Since September 2004, EPA and the Navy have discussed the need for an effective peer review process,"
said J.I. Palmer, Jr., administrator for the EPA's Region 4 in a letter responding to questions from U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller,
R-Chumuckla, about the delays. "The complexity of the Navy's untested risk model and its intended use for all future reefing
determinations necessitates peer review."
Nonetheless, in anticipation of the Navy's new model passing muster, tugboats
towed the Oriskany in December to the Port of Pensacola. Several dozen veterans and enthusiasts, who awaited its arrival dockside,
cheered.
A tentative sink date was set for May or June, but it would not come to pass
either. The Navy missed its December deadline for the model and then another in January.
"This is a complex effort that has never been accomplished before," Dolan
wrote in an e-mail. "Delays have been associated with underestimating the full extent of effort and time required to complete
and peer review the prospective risk assessment model, and to a lesser extent, the untimely death of the lead model developer
in January 2005."
Clark said the scientist's death delayed progress by three or four weeks,
but the model remained unfinished. By April, Navy officials had abandoned hope of sinking the ship before the active part
of the hurricane season began.
In May, they decided to send the ship back to Beaumont at a cost of $800,000
because of the cost and difficulty of safely securing the ship with a Category 3 hurricane-proof mooring.
At last, on June 16, the Navy submitted its risk assessment model. Three
days later, the Oriskany left for a Maritime Administration port facility in Beaumont. Because Beaumont is a military facility,
the docking fees, at $6,000 per month, are a significant discount to the $90,000 per month charged by the Port of Pensacola.
But even that departure was delayed. Crews had to temporarily undo some
of the preparations made to sink the ship. Various hatches and doors cut open for diver safety had to be sealed to keep the
Mighty O from taking on too much water during its tow back to Texas.
Risk assessment model under review Scientists are reviewing
the risk assessment model now. The EPA is expected to schedule a public hearing on the issue this fall, although officials
say they have not fielded any environmental concerns about the project, from Greenpeace, the noted environmental activist
group, or anyone else.
That hearing would be followed by the EPA's final decision on the sinking
permit by mid-January. Navy officials hope to return the ship to Pensacola early next year and sink it in May. But,
even now, there is no assurance the EPA will issue the sink permit. The EPA could find fault with the risk assessment
model, and more remediation may be required, said Mark Fite, chief of the toxic substances section for EPA's Region 4.
But Fite said: "There is a cost associated with removing more material. There
is a limit the Navy will reach." Fetterman said there's enough blame to go around for the delays in the project. The
Navy missed deadlines for its risk assessments, and the EPA has changed the requirements at different points in the process.
"The Navy has worked with the EPA hand-in-hand on this project," Clark said.
"It's not any agency's fault that the time (has been pushed back.)"
Said Niles: "EPA has been working with the Navy for months to make sure that
everything is being done correctly in order to get the permit for the sinking."
Locally, enthusiasm fades into frustration Locally, enthusiasm
for what promises to be a world-class addition to Pensacola's tourist attractions has soured. "I really don't have any
clue why this group of environmentalists working for the government went completely nuts," said Edwin Roberts Jr., a Pensacola
chiropractor and past president of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, who helped Florida win the bid for
the Oriskany.
"I'm completely at a loss. There have been big ships sunk all over the world
and there's never been a recorded problem. It is good to be sure that we're not doing any harm to the environment with a program
like this, but I think we've gone way beyond that.
"We've overdone the due diligence. I think we've stomped on a dead horse too
many times." Redman, president of the charter boat association, doubts the ship will return at all. "I think you have
to be realistic," he said. "I'm hopeful, but I seriously doubt it." A Mardi Gras float fashioned after the Oriskany sits
outside MBT Divers shop on Navy Boulevard, awaiting what would be its third parade this spring. MBT Co-owner Jim Phillips,
41, built the towering gray float even before Pensacola won its bid for the project. His frustration with the delays, however,
is offset by excitement over what the real Oriskany -- if allowed -- will bring to the community.
"I think it's going to be a lot bigger than a lot of people realize," he said.
"It's going to put Pensacola on the map as a tourist destination for people all over the world."
Carolyn Schmidt, who is co-directing a Discovery Channel documentary on the
Oriskany's transformation, decided to pass on filming the ship's most recent trek from Pensacola to Beaumont.
"We've already filmed it being moved twice," she said. She still
plans to make the film and will return for the sinking. But, she said: "You can't hold your breath, that's for sure."
News Journal staff writer Lynette Wilson contributed to this report.
Published - December, 21, 2005 Oriskany
hearing date set Meeting marks last phase for permitting
Brett Norman @PensacolaNewsJournal.com The federal Environmental Protection Agency
has scheduled a public hearing on the reefing of the Oriskany, in what supporters of the long-delayed project are calling
a major step toward sinking the rusty flattop this spring.
The Jan. 10 hearing comes in the
latter part of a 30-day public comment period ending Jan. 19 and marks the final phase of a permitting process that has taken
18 months longer than initially expected.
The plan is to turn the 888-foot flattop used in
the Korean and Vietnam wars into an international fishing and diving destination, the pilot project for a new program to cheaply
dispose of decommissioned vessels to the benefit of coastal communities throughout the nation.
"We're
excited to finally have the public meeting on the horizon," said Pat Dolan, department director for the congressional and
public affairs office of the Naval Sea Systems Command, which oversees the Inactive Fleet and the Oriskany project.
Barring an unanticipated outcry from the public, the EPA will issue the approval in February, and the ship would
be returned to Pensacola from Beaumont, Texas, and sunk 22.5 miles south of Pensacola before hurricane season begins June
1, EPA and Navy officials said Tuesday.
"The time line has been established right now that
we had hoped for," said retired Vice Adm. Jack Fetterman, who was instrumental in luring the project to the Pensacola area
in 2004. "It's a very positive step for this community. I don't think a lot of people realize what the financial impact will
be."
EPA approval is what has kept the Oriskany afloat as projected sink dates have slipped
by, beginning in September 2004. The repeated delays have rankled project supporters, but news of the public hearing has begun
to drum up enthusiasm again in the local diving and fishing industries.
"Everybody's been whining
about how tough things have been, and now we have this golden egg dropped in our lap," said Jim Phillips, co-owner of MBT
Divers shop on Navy Boulevard. "Once the word gets out on this, I'm confident (the excitement) will come back strong."
Laura Niles, spokeswoman for EPA Region 4, said the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Escambia
County Division of Marine Resources will be responsible for implementing a program to monitor the environmental impact of
the ship no later than six months after its sinking.
The Navy has spent at least $12.7 million
so far on the effort -- about 4? times the $2.8 million budget that had been approved by Congress.
September 23, 2005 Section: Main Page: 4A
Oriskany in Rita's path Nicole
Lozare Staff Pensacola
News Journal
Nicole Lozare
@PensacolaNewsJournal.com
The "Mighty O" soon might meet Rita despite the ship's move from Pensacola to Texas to avoid the threat of hurricanes.
The Oriskany is moored at the Maritime Administration Reserve Fleet Facility in Beaumont, Texas, said Lisa Coghlan,
Pensacola Naval Air Station public affairs specialist. The Navy has no plans to move the 888-foot rusted aircraft carrier
that Thursday was in the projected path of Hurricane Rita.
"The protocol in the military is to send ships out to sea during a hurricane -- if they're seaworthy," she said. "But,
in this case, we don't have a choice."
The Oriskany is scheduled to be sunk about 22.5 miles south of Pensacola on May 26. The Oriskany is destined
to become the largest Naval vessel to be sunk intentionally as an artificial reef.
Its trip to the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico has taken many detours.
The Oriskany arrived in Pensacola from Corpus Christi, Texas, in December, but the ship's sinking was delayed
because of environmental testing. The retired carrier was towed back to Texas in June to keep it safe from storms during hurricane
season.
Now, it faces what could be a Category 4 hurricane.
"I hope it will remain afloat and not sink as an artificial reef -- unintentionally -- by Hurricane Rita," said Escambia
County Commissioner Bill Dickson, who played a major role in getting the ship to Pensacola. "If it doesn't sink somewhere,
we'll get it back."
SEE GRAPHIC ON MICROFILM
Ron Stallcup@PensacolaNewsJournal.com
Thank you to the people who have sent the latest articles.
Published - June, 19, 2005 'Mighty O' ships out for Texas Nicole Lozare @PensacolaNewsJournal.com
The curious get a last look Sunday at the Oriskany before it is towed to Beaumont, Texas, where it will be docked for
the duration of the hurricane season. JohnBlackie@PensacolaNewsJournal.com
ADVERTISEMENT
Don Hall focused his binoculars to get a better view.
Robert Adkins stood on top of his blue Ford F-150 truck for an advantage over the crowd.
The Colmenero family -- Carlos, Pamela and their son, Mateo, 5 -- woke up two hours earlier than their normal Sunday wake-up
call just to say goodbye.
About 100 people gathered by the Palafox Pier area to watch the departure of the decommissioned aircraft carrier USS Oriskany.
The carrier has been moored at the Port of Pensacola since December.
The 888-foot, rusted ship will be towed to Beaumont, Texas, to ride out the hurricane season at the Maritime Administration
Reserve Fleet Facility. The relocation is the latest in a long string of delays in making the Oriskany the first Naval vessel
and largest ship to be sunk intentionally as an artificial reef.
Promptly at 8 a.m., three tugboats guided the ship through the Pensacola Pass.
"It's kind of like an unofficial ceremony," Carlos Clomenero said.
"I'm an ex-Army guy, and I'm paying my respects to an ex-Vietnam machine," said Hall, 59. The Gulf Breeze resident was
a warrant officer who flew helicopters during the Vietnam War.
The "Mighty O" will remain in Texas until at least January, when the Environmental Protection Agency is expected to complete
a long-delayed model of how the Oriskany's remaining polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, will affect the environment.
But on Sunday morning, some who saw the ship off expressed frustration.
"It baffles me why they're spending so much money -- just sink it already," said Pensacola resident Marie Frazier, 46.
The Navy is covering the round-trip towing cost, estimated at $1.7 million.
"There are a lot of ships that were sunk accidentally or during war," said her husband, Dan Frazier, 40. "What's the difference?"
Adkins, 50, agrees. "They are wasting time," he said. "Just finish the job."
Pamela Colmenero said she hopes the ship will be sunk soon.
"After Ivan, we need the tourists that the Oriskany will bring," she said.
"It's nice to see it back out to sea again," Carlos Colmenero said. "She gets one more ride on the seas."
Published - June, 18, 2005
Sight of Oriskany stirs memories for ex-crewman By James Wesley Adams
Daylight is still hours away when I arrive at the airport to take an early morning flight from my home in Louisville, Ky.,
to Pensacola. My sole purpose in making this trip is to visit an old and dear friend. It has been more that a half century
since I last saw her, although I have dreamed of her often and longed to see her again. The friend I speak of is USS Oriskany,
CVA 34.
I was a radarman first class assigned to the "Big O" when she was commissioned in 1950. In the beginning, we referred to
her as the "Big O." Later, crew members changed that to "Mighty O."
It doesn't really matter which is used, for both nicknames fit. I was aboard for three of the most adventurous years of
my life. Then I transferred to a minesweeper and haven't seen her since.
Sometime in the mid-70s she was decommissioned and taken off the roster of active ships.
Final voyage
There followed years of being shunted here and there on the West Coast while the Navy tried to decide what to do with her.
Now her future has been decided. She sits alone and forlorn at a dock in Pensacola and one day will be towed a few miles out
to sea and sunk for use as an artificial reef. Since I was with her on her first trip to sea, I thought it only fitting that
I be with her as she prepares for her final voyage.
I am met at the Pensacola airport by my son, Richard, and his family, where they present me with a USS Oriskany ball cap,
and we head for the dock which is only a few miles away. I am nervous and apprehensive knowing full well what I will find,
but hoping I won't.
When we arrive it is just as I had expected. She has been stripped of her guns, anchors and mast. Because she hasn't felt
a paint brush for more than 30 years, she is rust from bow to fantail. Anything that could be cut away has been removed.
She is pitiful and yet, to me, she seems to have a regal bearing that makes one want to remove his hat in her presence.
As I move here and there taking pictures, I am surprised at the number of people who have come to visit; when they see my
Oriskany ball cap many of them gather around with questions about her and to ask me to pose for pictures with "Big O" in the
background.
I am happy to oblige, and pleased that so many are interested.
And then, it is time to go. Tears come to my eyes, and I turn away so that others will not see. After all, grown men are
not supposed to cry. Or so they say.
As we walk away, I turn for one last look. Through tear-blurred eyes I see her not as she is today, but as she was all
those years ago: Sporting a new paint job, bristling with 3- and 5-inch guns, she has her full complement of planes on the
flight deck with wings folded. Signal flags are flying from her mast, and I distinctly hear the bugler sound the call to muster.
Shortly afterward comes the shrill sound of the bos'ns pipe followed by the voice of the bos'ns mate over the speakers, "Now
hear this, go to your stations all the special sea detail. Prepare for getting underway."
All engines ahead...
I watch as young sailors take in her lines. A tug comes alongside and gently nudges her away from the dock. I clearly hear
the officer of the deck as he gives orders to the engine room and to the helmsman, "All engines ahead two-thirds, come right
to course 180."
Then, with a blast from the ship's siren, she moves into the channel and is gone.
James Wesley Allen is a resident of Louisville, Ky. E-mail at mjaoz@webtv.net.
Editor's note: The sinking of the Oriskany as an artificial reef was delayed because of environmental concerns. The
Environmental Protection Agency's examination of how the Oriskany's PCBs will affect the environment did not occur before
hurricane season began on June 1. To protect the carrier from damage in the event of a storm, the carrier is scheduled to
leave today and return to Texas until hurricane season is over. It will be towed back to Pensacola for reefing next May.
From this week's Navy Times....
What
a waste of taxpayer's money. $1.7 million???
Carrier whiplash
It’s back to
the ghost fleet in Beaumont, Texas, for the decommissioned aircraft carrier Oriskany later this month — giving the Korean
War- and Vietnam War-era ship at least a year of unexpected reprieve before meeting its final resting place off the coast
of Florida.
The Navy wants to sink Oriskany as an artificial reef 22 nautical miles off the coast of Pensacola, Fla.,
in the Gulf of Mexico, in 212 feet of water.Oriskany’s odyssey started in January 2004, when it was towed from Beaumont
to Corpus Christi, Texas, for a $2.2 million environmental cleanup.
Then, Oriskany was towed to Pensacola in December,
to get ready for sinking sometime this year.Although environmental remediation has been completed, Navy officials still are
working on the environmental studies needed to get permission from the Environmental Protection Agency to sink the ship in
coastal waters.
Originally, the Navy planned to keep Oriskany in Pensacola until it was ready for reefing.But concerns
about keeping the ship in Pensacola during the upcoming hurricane season prompted the Navy to move Oriskany back to Texas,
at a cost of about $1.7 million for the round trip.Navy officials said the estimated date for sinking the ship is now May
2006. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Contributed, YNCS Don Harribine,
USN(ret)
It’s
back to the ghost fleet in Beaumont, Texas, for the decommissioned aircraft carrier Oriskany later this month — giving
the Korean and Vietnam war-era ship at least a year of unexpected reprieve before meeting its final resting place off the
coast of Florida. The Navy wants to sink Oriskany as an artificial reef 22 nautical miles off the coast of Pensacola, Fla.,
in the Gulf of Mexico, in 212 feet of water.
Oriskany’s odyssey started in January 2004, when it was towed from
Beaumont to Corpus Christi, Texas, for a $2.2 million environmental cleanup.
Fuels, oils, asbestos and other hazardous
materials were removed from the ship by a contractor last year.
Then, Oriskany was towed to Pensacola in December,
to get ready for sinking sometime this year.
Although environmental remediation has been completed, Navy officials
are still working on the environmental studies needed to get permission from the Environmental Protection Agency to sink the
ship in coastal waters.
Originally, the Navy had planned to keep Oriskany in Pensacola until it was ready for reefing.
But concern about keeping the ship in Pensacola during the upcoming hurricane season, and the impossibility of installing
a Category 3 hurricane mooring before the season’s start on June 1, prompted the Navy to plan on moving Oriskany back
to Texas.
Navy officials said the estimated date for reefing the ship is now May 2006.
But if the Navy doesn’t
get the necessary environmental approvals by January 2006, Oriskany will stay in Beaumont through the 2006 hurricane season.
From Wire reports Posted May 4, 2005
Orlando Sentinel
Carrier to wait out storms
PENSACOLA -- The retired aircraft carrier USS Oriskany will be
returned to Texas to ride out hurricane season while environmental studies continue to determine if it can be safely sunk
as an artificial reef off Pensacola, the Navy said Tuesday.
The 888-foot carrier, a combat veteran of the Korean and
Vietnam wars, would be the largest ship ever purposely sunk to serve as a reef, but the project has run into repeated environmental
snags.
The ship will be moved later this month to a Navy Reserve Fleet facility in Beaumont, Texas, where it will remain
at least until after this year's hurricane season, Navy officials said. It could remain there until after the 2006 season
if there are additional delays in obtaining a permit from the Environmental Protection Agency.
News article from Pensacola on May 3, 2005 from Pensacola Visitors and
Convention Bureau
The Oriskany: Latest News and Photo Gallery
Latest News: The Navy will move the Oriskany from the Port of Pensacola to the Maritime Administration
(MARAD) Beaumont Texas Reserve Fleet facility later this month. An analysis of alternatives, plus public concern about maintaining
the ship in Pensacola during the upcoming hurricane season led to the decision to temporarily move the ship to Beaumont. This
decision allows Navy to safeguard both the Port and the ship during this year's hurricane season.
The decision was reached after consultation with representatives of the Port of Pensacola and the U.S. Coast
Guard Sector Mobile, AL. It was determined that moving the ship was the best and least costly option to protect the Port and
the ship as the Navy could not complete a Category 3 hurricane mooring by the start of hurricane season.
"The Navy remains committed to sinking the ex-Oriskany as an artificial reef off Pensacola," said Captain
Lawrence M. Jones, Jr., Inactive Ship Program Manager. "We will return the ship to Pensacola to complete final environmental
and sink preparations once the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 4 issues the risk-based PCB disposal approval."
In December 2004, the Navy's contractor, Resolve Marine Group/ESCO Marine Joint Venture, completed a comprehensive
11-month environmental remediation effort on ex-Oriskany in conformance with EPA's draft guidance document; Best Management
Practices for Preparing Vessels Intended to Create Artificial Reefs.
Remaining milestones include Navy completion of a Prospective Risk Assessment Model (PRAM) and ex-Oriskany
ecological and human health risk assessments, EPA internal and external peer reviews along with public comment, and issuance
of a risk-based PCB disposal approval for ex-Oriskany by EPA Region 4. Navy anticipates delivery of the PRAM and the ex-Oriskany
risk assessments to EPA by mid-June 2005 and anticipates that EPA Region 4 will provide risk-based PCB disposal approval by
mid-January 2006.
Upon this approval, Navy will tow the ship back from Beaumont to Pensacola for final environmental and sink
preparations. It is projected that these final preparations will take about three months. The estimated date for reefing the
ship is May 2006. If the risk-based PCB disposal approval is significantly delayed beyond January 2006, the ship will remain
in Beaumont, Texas through the 2006 hurricane season.
The Oriskany at sunset on Pensacola Bay.
The Oriskany berthed at the Port of Pensacola.
The Oriskany photographed from downtown Pensacola. It is located in the background just slightly to the left of the center
of the photo.
The retired aircraft carrier Oriskany, destined for the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico south of Pensacola, is about to embark
on a lengthy detour.
Again.
Citing concerns about safely mooring the 888-foot ship at the Port of Pensacola through the upcoming hurricane season,
the Navy announced Tuesday it would tow the rust-striped hulk later this month to the Maritime Administration Beaumont Texas
Reserve Fleet Facility, one of the "Mighty O's" former berths.
There it will remain until at least January, when the Environmental Protection Agency is expected to complete a long-delayed
model of how the Oriskany's remaining polychlorinated biphenyl's, or PCBs, will impact the environment.
The relocation is the latest in a long string of delays in making the Oriskany the first Naval vessel and largest ship
to be sunk intentionally as an artificial reef.
Pensacola Bay Area officials involved in the process expressed frustration Tuesday that the Oriskany likely won't reach
its final resting place for another year.
"It's a huge disappointment not only to the community but to me," said U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Chumuckla. "It's ridiculous
that it should take this long .... The EPA has exhibited once again that it puts up an unacceptable amount of red tape.
Pensacola gets a needed boost from the destined-to-be-sunk USS Oriskany.
By Wes Smith Sentinel National Correspondent
March 27, 2005
PENSACOLA --
The spectral vision of a hulking "ghost ship" in the distance was more than Gladys LeBarre and her nephew could resist.
Intrigued,
they took a detour off Interstate 10 and drove seven miles south to the Port of Pensacola -- just as scores of other people
have done in recent weeks.
"We saw it from a ways out on the highway, so we had to come see what it was," said LeBarre
of Foley, Ala.
Destined to become the world's largest man-made reef, the 888-foot USS Oriskany was stripped to its
steel bones and towed from Corpus Christi, Texas, to Pensacola in December in preparation for its sinking.
The retired
aircraft carrier's date with the deep has been delayed while environmental permits are sought. In the interim, the storied
"Mighty O" has become an unexpected tourist attraction in a Gulf Coast city that sorely needs one.
The community's
waterfront resorts and white-sand beaches are still recovering from Hurricane Ivan. So Pensacola residents are glad to see
self-guided visitors appear at Commendencia Slip in the downtown harbor.
They trek past boarded storefronts and homes
draped in blue tarps to stand and crane their necks at the rusty but still imposing warship that served in Korea and Vietnam.
The Oriskany also was the setting for The Bridges at Toko-Ri, a 1955 film with William Holden, Mickey Rooney and Grace
Kelly.
McCain once served aboard
A small sign posted on the sidewalk offers a glimpse into the history
of the carrier whose former crew members include astronaut Alan Shepard and POW survivors Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Rear
Adm. James B. Stockdale.
The sign notes that the Oriskany was struck by one of the U.S. Navy's great tragedies, a deadly
onboard fire that killed scores of Navy pilots and crew members. Yet the ship was repaired and served several more tours of
heavy duty off Vietnam's coast.
"I'm a big history buff, so I think it's a shame they are going to sink it. It should
be a museum," said LeBarre's nephew, Joe Majors of Cleveland.
That has been a persistent sentiment expressed by the
Oriskany's accidental tourists, to the surprise of local officials.
"A lot of the veterans say they think it is a bad
idea to sink such an honorable warship with a great record. But I tell them that few communities could foot the bill to turn
it into a museum," said former Oriskany crewman Robert Price, 58, of Gulf Breeze.
Price, a retired Navy chaplain who
survived the Oriskany's disastrous fire, gives a "parking-lot lecture" about the warship to as many as 60 visitors every Saturday.
He
and others note that the city is considering building a maritime museum elsewhere. But the massive vessel has been stripped
of wiring, plumbing, mechanics and furnishings, making it too costly to transform it for that use.
"The Oriskany is
in no shape to rebirth as a museum. It has one destiny, and that is about 212 feet down," said Ed Schroeder, vice president
of tourism and development for the Pensacola Bay Area Chamber of Commerce.
Pensacola won sinking right
The
retired carrier was towed to Pensacola -- home to a naval air station where generations of pilots have trained -- after local
leaders won the right to make a reef of it. In winning the 27,100-ton prize, they beat out five other coastal states as well
as in-state rivals from Miami-Dade, Palm Beach and Broward counties.
The Navy will put up an estimated $2.8 million
for the scuttling. Escambia County pledged an additional $1 million toward the job. Officials expect the Oriskany to pay dividends
as an attraction for anglers and divers.
Local contributors to that cause included the organizers of the Red Snapper
World Championship fishing tournament and the Scuba Shack, one of many area dive shops and charter operators.
"Out
in our Gulf, there is nothing but sand, so we don't have coral reefs. If we didn't have the artificial reefs, we wouldn't
have many barracuda, snapper, grouper, amberjack, lobsters or other tropical fish here," said charter-boat captain Gene Ferguson,
a Scuba Shack co-owner.
The Oriskany will be a "perpetual moneymaker" that doesn't have to be maintained, painted or
repaired, he said.
Nautical nooks and crannies on artificial reefs serve as breeding grounds for microorganisms that
attract small fish, which attract bigger fish, including some with spending money: tourists, experts say. Visitors to other
artificial reefs off five Panhandle counties spent $358 million during a 12-month period, according to a 1998 study co-authored
by Florida State University business professor Mark Bonn.
Ship almost became scrap
The Oriskany nearly
became recycled scrap instead of an aquatic attraction. Commissioned in 1950 and retired 25 years later, the carrier was sold
for scrap in 1995. But the contractor defaulted on the deal, and the Navy repossessed it.
It is now set to become the
first of at least 18 obsolete Navy ships to be used as artificial reefs under provisions established by the 2004 National
Defense Authorization Act. There are an additional 100 ships controlled by the Maritime Administration that also could be
sunk, officials said.
The Oriskany's sinking has been delayed until environmental scientists have completed a study
to be sure there is no risk to aquatic life from materials in the remaining components of the ship, Robert Turpin, chief of
Marine Resources, Escambia County, said. Once EPA permits are obtained, the carrier will be deep-sixed -- probably after the
end of the 2005 hurricane season in November or early 2006. It will rest in about 225 feet of water nearly 25 miles offshore.
Most divers will be able to explore its upper tiers.
On the bottom, it will join a motley assemblage of artificial
reefs. Some were sunk intentionally. Unfriendly fire, bad luck or foul weather downed others. The man-made reefs include sunken
battleships, schooners, barges, tugs, a torpedoed Russian freighter, crashed fighter jets and a few oil rigs.
The Navy
flattop also will join a small armada of Army tanks sunk to become "fish tanks" and more than 200 fiberglass containers welded
together to create what divers dubbed the "Grouper Condos."
1966 fire killed 44 aboard
The Oriskany will
settle to the bottom stripped of its weaponry and maritime fittings -- but not of its proud history.
In 1952 and 1953,
it served with the U.S. 7th Fleet off Korea, and its aircraft dropped 4,600 tons of bombs, fired more than a million rounds
and took part in the first multijet dogfight in naval history.
Later, the Oriskany did seven tours off the coast of
Vietnam. Its Carrier Air Wing 16 flew more than 12,000 combat sorties in one early deployment -- another naval record.
The
carrier was in the Gulf of Tonkin on Oct. 27, 1966, when a magnesium flare was dropped and ignited other flares and artillery
rockets. The fire spread through five decks and to aircraft onboard. Forty-four crew members and pilots were killed.
Yeoman
Robert Price, then 19, was awakened by alarms and choking smoke. He joined a crew dropping 250-pound bombs over the side to
keep them from exploding.
"All in all, it was quite a day," he recalled.
Pensacola officials hope to host Sen.
McCain and other former crew members at a ceremony prior to the Oriskany sinking. But many already have come to pay their
respects quietly.
"One woman showed me a picture of her son who died when his plane was shot down off the Oriskany,"
Price said. "She said that when the ship was brought here last December, it was like her son had come back for Christmas."
Wes
Smith can be reached at 407-420-5672 or dwsmith@orlandosentinel.com.
Plans to sink the retired aircraft carrier Oriskany as an artificial reef this summer have been put
off until after the next hurricane season because an environmental assessment cannot be completed until September, Navy officials
said Friday.
The delay comes because of the Jan. 7 death of a key scientist who was developing a simulation model
to predict the short- and long-term effects of polychlorinated biphenyl’s or PCBs.
The industrial compound, known to cause
cancer in animals, has been found in electrical cable insulation and other items aboard the ship.
It would be cost-prohibitive to remove all PCB-containing material without dismantling the ship, Navy
spokesman Patricia Dolan wrote in an e-mail.
Navy officials were aiming for June to sink the 888-foot Oriskany , which would be the largest ship
to be purposely sunk as an artificial reef.Now, the earliest possible date would
be in September because the scientist’s death unexpected will delay the model development by two months.
“As September is the heart of the hurricane season, the Navy will secure the ship in a hurricane
mooring arrangement approved by the U. S. Coast Guard and delay the sinking of the ship until later in the year and subsequent
to the hurricane season,” Dolan wrote.
The Pensacola area was ravaged by Hurricane Ivan in September 2004.
The Environmental Protection Agency will use the simulation to determine whether to issue a permit for the sinking
in the Gulf of Mexico about 25 miles south of Pensacola.
The ship was towed to Pensacola in December from Corpus Christi,
Texas, where most of the sinking preparations were completed, including removal of its wooden
flight deck, which contained an estimated 700 pounds of PCBs.
The Navy initially had announced the carrier would be sunk last summer, but it was unable to get an
environmental permit because of questions about the PCBs.
Photo by Dr. Ed Delgado. Copyright 2005.
Picture by Dr. Ed Delgado. Copyright 2005.
Navy photos by Gary Nichols, Gosport photo editor
The following two photographs were sent by Sheri Crowe
sent with article by Sheri Crowe
If you are new to this site or have not read about the future sinking of the USS Oriskany as a reef,
you'll want to read this section. It contains copies of newspaper articles as they come to our attention, with the paper
and author cited each time. Much information recently has come from the Pensacola News Journal.
Pensacola:final stop for former warship
Ex-Oriskany
awaits to be sunken as artificial reef
By Sheri L. Crowe, Naval Air
Station Pensacola Public Affairs
The general
public is invited to view the 888-foot rust-streaked former aircraft carrier Oriskany (CVA-34) -- a combat veteran of Korea
and Vietnam -- at its Port of Pensacola berth from a pier side viewing area off South Palafox (near the Bayfront Auditorium).(Viewing will be done pier side since visitors will not be granted access aboard ship.)Plenty of parking is available nearby, and lights illuminate the area at night.Divers, swimmers, former Oriskany crewmembers, and those just curious to see what
the heavily weathered ship looks like up close can do so now.A firm sink
date hasnot been established.
Oriskany
is the Navy’s first ship to be sunk under the authority provided under the Fiscal Year 2004 National Defense Authorization
Act (Public Law 108-136) and will be the largest ship sunk as an artificial reef.
The Navy recently completed a comprehensive 11-month
remediation effort on ex-Oriskany in accordance with the draft Best Management Practices for Preparing Vessels Intended
to Create Artificial Reefs.The remediation prepared the ship to be
sunk as an artificial reef by removing fuels and oils, loose asbestos containing material, capacitors, transformers or other
liquid polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) components, batteries, HALON, mercury, antifreeze, coolants, fire extinguishing agents,
black and gray water, and chromated ballast water.
Additionally,
the wood flight deck and underlayment were removed due to high PCB concentrations found after the asphalt protective coating
had been removed from the flight deck.These measures will ensure that the ex-Oriskany
reef is environmentally safe.
The ship is expected to remain at the Port of
Pensacola berth, pending completion of the risk assessment, issuance of sink approval and completion of final sinking preparations.
The Oriskany
artificial reef will benefit marine life, commercial and sport fishing and recreational diving off the coast of Florida.
Plans are
to sink the vessel approximately 24 miles off the coast of Pensacola, and this could take place by the end of summer.
Comments from Department of the Navy employees
aboard Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola who’ve seen Oriskany since docked in Pensacola include:“The ship is gigantic and amazing to see in person.”
“It’s a rusty hulk sitting down at
the Port of Pensacola.”
“I got some pretty cool photos of Oriskany
from the Allegheny Pier (aboard NAS Pensacola) as she made way through the Pensacola Pass near sunset.”
Oriskany
left Corpus Christi, Texas, on Dec. 15 and arrived at Pensacola on Dec. 20 to undergo final preparations for sinking.
When Oriskany made its arrival to Pensacola,
Capt. John M. Pruitt, Jr., commanding officer, Naval Air Station Pensacola was pier side at the base to see the mighty “O”
pass by.“We went out there and watched Oriskany steam by as it made its
way to the Port of Pensacola,” he said.“Our Port Operations guys
played a big piece in that (Oriskany’s arrival) since they escorted Ex-Oriskany in.They were critical in getting that ship in to the port.”
Pruitt and Vice Adm. Jack Fetterman, president,
CEO of Naval Aviation Museum Foundation are hopeful that Oriskany might make way to NAS Pensacola for a brief stopover prior
to the sinking.
“I actually do think that we’ll end
up with the Oriskany here (at NAS Pensacola) for a short period of time…a week to 10 days or something like that,”
said Pruitt.
Following 26 years of service, Oriskany was decommissioned
in September 1976.The ship was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register in July
1989 and sold for scrapping in 1994.
Using ships
as artificial reefs also benefits the Navy by providing another reduction method to the inactive ship inventory, thereby reducing
the environmental risk associated with storing inactive ships in sensitive waterways.
Pensacola News-Journal
January 3, 2005 Section:
Main Page: 6A
VIEWPOINT Robert A. Price Readers Pensacola News Journal
Oriskany in right place, at right time
I stand on the corner of Main and Tarragona streets looking south. There, the rusted hulk
of Oriskany is docked at the Port of Pensacola. This is her final port of call. As I look her over, memories return
in a flood. It has been 38 years since I last saw her.
It was November 1966 and we had just returned to Oriskany's homeport of San Diego, completing the ''O Boat's''
second of seven tours to Vietnam. It was a rough cruise. A fire in October killed 44 officers and crew, including two of my
best friends and co-workers. The cruise was cut short and we limped back to San Diego.
As a crew member of one of the aviation squadrons onboard, I disembarked and returned to our home base at Whidbey Island,
Wash. Boarding the bus for the return trip, I turned and made one final glance back at the ship. Even after the fire, she
looked grand.
After so many years of neglect, the Oriskany is a rusted hulk but I feel no sadness for her. She is, after all,
just a ship. Her real life comes from the memories of her officers and crew.
When I look at her today, I remember a young lieutenant, reported missing in action less than a day after I had handed
him the mail for his division. Then I think of my two immediate supervisors, both killed in the fire. There were just two
of us working in the squadron's administrative office. These officers worked closely with us, helping us with the myriad of
administrative details necessary in running a Naval command.
When I think of how much Oriskany can accomplish as an artificial reef and how the opportunity to remember her
sacrifices will present itself on each and every scuba dive, fishing trip and tourist excursion, I have to smile and think
that she is in the right place, at the right time.
As a former crew member, there are many people I would like to personally thank for making this happen. I can't name
them all, but I would certainly like to offer a special thanks to Adm. Jack Fetterman of the Naval Aviation Museum Foundation
and Robert Turpin, chief of Marine Resources, Escambia County, for their tireless efforts. Their tenacity and perseverance
in this effort have certainly benefited those of us who were privileged to serve on Oriskany, one of the Navy's finest
old warriors.
ROBERT A. PRICE
Robert A. Price is a resident of Gulf Breeze. He served with Heavy Attack Squadron FOUR, Detachment GOLF onboard the
USS Oriskany from May until
November 1966.
Copyright (c) Pensacola News Journal. All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of Gannett Co., Inc. by NewsBank,
inc.
Ms. Jacobson
I was enjoying the pics you have of the Oriskany and thought you may enjoy a few of her departing
Corpus from our view on the ship.
Travis Allinson
Proj. Superintendent
Ex USS Oriskany
The first three pictures are included with the above message.
leaving Corpus on Dec. 15, 2004
sent to the Oriskany Museum by Robert Stefanov
taken on Dec. 22, 2004 by Ret. Capt. Roger Boh USN
sent by Robert Stefanov
Dec. 22, 2004 in Pensacola, taken by Ret. Capt. Roger Boh USN
Dec.22, 2004 in Pensacola
December 12, 2004 Section:
Main Page: 1A, 12A
Oriskany readies for final voyage, new life Doug
Haller Staff Pensacola
News Journal
Decommissioned carrier leaves Texas Monday to become artificial reef here
Doug Haller
@PensacolaNewsJournal.com
Don't let the rust fool you.
The stripped aircraft carrier that commercial tugs plan to pull into the Port of Pensacola this week is a welcome site
for many around the world.
The 888-foot Oriskany -- one of the most heavily used flattops of the Vietnam War -- will depart from Corpus
Christi, Texas, early Monday and could arrive here as early as Friday, depending on Gulf of Mexico weather conditions.
It is the first decommissioned Navy vessel to be used in a new program that turns the old ships into artificial reefs,
and it eventually will become the largest ship ever intentionally sunk as an artificial reef off the United States coast.
For the past year, the carrier's fate, remediation and sinking have attracted national media coverage, documentary
filmmakers and interest from international fishermen and divers.
It also has provided an intriguing local story line -- a Naval vessel returning home to Pensacola, the Cradle of Naval
Aviation, scheduled to be sunk nearly 25 miles off the coast in June.
"I can't say how big this is,'' said Robert Turpin, marine resources chief for Escambia County. "It's mammoth. It's
huge.''
"This is such a huge industry, such a hidden jewel,'' said Edwin Roberts, a local chiropractor and former chairman
of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. "In the past, I don't think we've taken advantage of it as best
as we could. (But) here's an opportunity to throw us on the map.''
Escambia County tourism officials say Oriskany's reefing is worth millions to the economy. Local dive shops
have taken calls from divers in Thailand, Japan and Germany, wanting to know when Oriskany will be available for exploration.
One shop has a list of 1,000 divers who can't wait to visit the Pensacola Bay Area.
"Not to cut short the people in the United States, but this is bigger,'' said Eilene Beard, owner of Scuba Shack Wet
Dream Charters in downtown Pensacola. "The buzz is on. This is international.''
The Pensacola Convention
&
Visitors Center has begun "flooding the country'' with Oriskany information. Nearly 4,500 Oriskany posters
will be mailed to fishing and diving shops across the nation. Ads will be placed in fishing and diving publications.
Ed Schroeder, vice president of the Pensacola Bay Area Chamber of Commerce, said all this makes Oriskany's economic
impact difficult to determine. He's aware of the numbers thrown out -- the $92 million some have pegged as Oriskany's
annual worth to the economy.
But Schroeder said it's not that simple. Usually, economic impact is calculated from tourism dollars stemming from
entertainment, hotels, restaurants and rental cars.
Oriskany, however, has the potential for more.
"This event will do something that many other tourism-style events don't do,'' Schroeder said. "An entire infrastructure
will bloom. You'll see a lot more diving boats and fishing-boat businesses. ... It will have a huge impact. Whether you measure
that in the millions or tens of millions, I don't know. It could take years to see the full effect.''
The Navy has designated approximately $2.8 million for the Oriskany project; Escambia County pledged $1 million
to help.
Community residents also contributed.
Organizers of a local fishing tournament, the Red Snapper World Championships, donated $2,000. Beard forked over $25,000
from her savings.
"I don't have any kids, so I just took it out of my retirement account,'' said Beard, conceding that it probably won't
take long to earn back her money once Oriskany is open for business. "I just love the ocean, and artificial reefs are
a passion of mine. I'm also a firm believer that when you take, you should give back.''
'A plan comes together'
Known as the "Mighty O,'' the Oriskany played a major role in the Korean and Vietnam wars. In 1952, the ship
joined Fast Carrier Task Force 77 off the Korean coast and launched aircraft that struck enemy supply lines and artillery
positions along the main battlefront.
During Vietnam, Oriskany launched nearly 20,000 combat sorties. Dozens of Oriskany pilots were shot down,
including U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who was taken prisoner in North Vietnam in 1967.
Turpin heard of the carrier's availability while attending a meeting on the Navy's inactive fleet program in Jacksonville.
He returned to Pensacola with grand visions and shared them with Escambia County Commissioner Bill Dickson.
"(Turpin) came back the first day and said, 'You're not going to believe this. They got an aircraft carrier,' '' Dickson
said. "He was so excited. He told me what we had to do, and I said, 'Let's get started.' ''
Florida competed against Texas, Mississippi, South Carolina and Georgia. Escambia County then beat out South Florida
in an intense battle with sharp debate.
"Like anything else, it's nice when a plan comes together,'' Dickson said. "We were in competition with some pretty
big areas. Broward County has a lot of horsepower. Texas certainly has a lot of firepower. I think it speaks well that we
put a good presentation together. I give most of the credit to (Turpin). He had the permitted site out there. He knew where
he could put it. He did a lot of the legwork.''
Once it's sunk, Oriskany will rest in 212 feet of water. The top of its superstructure will stretch to within
60 feet of the surface. Fish will start to congregate around the ship within hours of its sinking.
Example: Earlier this year, Turpin placed a small reef in the water. Less than an hour later, dozens of tiny fish already
had adopted it. A week later, Turpin found an octopus near the reef.
"Because (Oriskany) is so large, any fish that encounters it through its natural pattern of migration, they
will be attracted and will probably stay at this reef,'' said Turpin, adding that a reef Oriskany's size will serve
as a sort of magnet in attracting such fish as wahoo, tuna and sailfish.
Details vital to sinking
The challenge is putting the ship down. Two years ago, the 510-foot Spiegel Grove was set to be sunk six miles off
Key Largo in the Florida Keys National Marine.
But once tugs towed the vessel to the sink site, it capsized prematurely, partially floating with its forward bow out
of the water.
Specialists from Fort Lauderdale were called in to help put Spiegel Grove on the bottom, making it the largest Naval
ship sunk to become an artificial reef at the time. The rescue process included 70 inflatable life bags, air injection and
two tug boats.
"It was a public-relations disaster,'' said retired Vice Adm. Jack Fetterman, president and CEO of the Naval Aviation
Museum Foundation and a driving force to bring Oriskany to Pensacola. "No one wants that to happen again.''
Pat Dolan, department director for the Naval Sea System Command's office of congressional and public affairs, says
an engineered sink plan developed specifically for Oriskany is in place.
It will involve placing small C4 explosives in the main sea-chest piping at the bottom of the ship and removing external
blanks on Oriskany's underwater hull, allowing water into the sea-chest piping. The plan is to let water in and oxygen
out.
A radio-control signal likely will detonate the ship, set in motion by someone stationed on one of several boats that
will surround Oriskany from a distance of at least a half-mile.
The sinking, from start to finish, could take longer than eight hours.
"You're not going to see an explosion,'' Turpin said. "Unless, you hear it, you probably won't even know anything has
happened.''
Awaiting final resting place
Once it arrives, the carrier will stay moored to the west side of the Pensacola port, undergoing sink preparations
while Navy and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officials review risk-assessment documents.
EPA officials in Atlanta must approve the Navy's assessment that the polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) still aboard
Oriskany will not harm humans or the environment.
The issue has caused repeated delays in the ship's sinking, as well as the removal of Oriskany's wooden flight
deck and more than 42 tons of the ship's bulkhead insulation.
The manufacture of PCBs, an industrial compound known to cause cancer in animals, was halted in the United States in
1977. The Oriskany will not be sunk until the EPA issues a risk-based PCP disposal permit.
"We're still revising the risk assessment,'' said EPA spokeswoman Laura Niles. "There's no specific date to issue the
permit. We still haven't determined if there's more remediation to be done.''
Worst-case scenario, according to Fetterman: The Navy gets the permit in May, and Oriskany goes down as scheduled
in June.
Best-case scenario: The Navy gets the permit earlier, and the sink date is moved up to avoid a conflict with hurricane
season, which starts June 1.
"Once we get the permit, we control the timetable,'' Fetterman said. "That means we would set an exact sink date and
then start advising everyone of what will take place.''
'Going to be great'
It will be an emotional send-off for the aircraft carrier's veterans.
Oriskany served as a second home to thousands during its 26 years of service. Dozens of veterans have followed
its status through Internet chats and telephone calls.
"When (the reefing) was first was announced, I had some mixed feelings,'' said Bobby Cochran, 57, of Pensacola, an
aircraft controller on Oriskany from 1973-76. "It was the first ship I was on, and I would've liked to have seen it
become a museum where people could go on and connect with the Oriskany because it has been a great part of our freedom.''
The National Museum of Naval Aviation at Pensacola Naval Air Station -- which will display Oriskany's stern
plate -- plans to have a ceremony for Oriskany veterans the night before the sinking.
Fetterman also hopes to find a way to let them board the ship one final time, perhaps by roping off a section of the
hangar deck.
Other projects include luring Sen. McCain to Pensacola for the sinking as well as broadcasting the event to various
locations throughout the area.
Now that the ship is prepared for its Gulf voyage, Fetterman expects the planning to accelerate.
"Throughout the whole process, it's been like waiting for Christmas,'' he said.
"I'm not sure most people understand the economic impact this thing will have. There are so many positive things that
will happen. It's going to be great for Pensacola."
PHOTO
Schroeder
Dickson
Turpin
Fetterman
Crowley Maritime Corp./Special to the News Journal
The Oriskany has been in Corpus Christi, Texas, being prepared for its trip to Pensacola. The decommissioned
ship will be sunk off the coast to attract tourists, anglers and divers.
Tim Zielenbach, Corpus Christi Caller-Times/Special to the News Journal
The Oriskany, a Korean and Vietnam war era aircraft carrier, moves under the Harbor Bridge on its way to Texas
Docks and Rail in Corpus Christi, Texas. The ship was decommissioned in 1976 - while in Texas, chemicals and solvents were
cleaned from it in preparation for being sunk as an artificial reef.
Corpus Christi Caller-Times/Special to the News Journal
The Oriskany, which has been docked this year at Corpus Christi, Texas, could leave as early as Monday morning
for its voyage to Pensacola, where it will become the largest ship to be sunk for use as an artificial reef.
History of the 'Mighty O'
1943: Congress authorizes construction of attack aircraft carrier USS Oriskany, CV-34.
1945: Launched, New York Naval Shipyard.
1950: Commissioned, New York Naval Shipyard.
1952: Becomes first aircraft carrier to round Cape Horn.
1952: Arrives at new home port, San Diego.
1952-53: Combat operations off Korea.
1953: "The Bridges of Toko Ri'' filmed aboard Oriskany.
1958-59: Angled flight deck added during major renovation, San Francisco Bay Naval Shipyard.
1963: President Kennedy witnesses operational readiness demonstration aboard Oriskany in San Diego.
1965: First combat operations off Vietnam.
1966: Magazine fire on Oriskany kills 44 crew members off Vietnam; arrives at new home port, Alameda, Calif.
1967: Assists USS Forrestal when fire strikes that carrier off Vietnam.
1968: Overhaul and repairs, San Francisco Bay Naval Shipyard.
1969-1973: Combat operations off Vietnam.
1975-76: Final cruise in western Pacific.
1976: Decommissioned, Alameda, Calif.
1995: Sold for scrap, Vallejo, Calif.
1997: Scrap contractor defaults; Oriskany repossessed by Navy.
1999: Towed to Beaumont, Texas.
2003: Efforts under way to have Escambia County selected as site for Oriskany. Other states also make bids.
2004: Towed to Corpus Christi, Texas, to be cleaned and prepared for use as artificial reef.
2004: Escambia County selected as site for sinking.
2004: Leaves Corpus Christi, Texas, for the Port of Pensacola, where it will undergo final preparations to be scuttled.
Sinking is scheduled for early June.
U.S. Navy; Oriskany Reunion Association
Copyright (c) Pensacola News Journal. All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of Gannett Co., Inc. by NewsBank,
inc.
Pensacola News-Journal
Estimated printed pages: 2
December 7, 2004 Section:
Local Page: 1C
Oriskany arrival date nears Doug
Haller Staff Pensacola
News Journal
Doug Haller
@PensacolaNewsJournal.com
No more delays. The Oriskany soon will be on its way.
Depending upon the weather, the decommissioned aircraft carrier will leave Texas for Pensacola sometime between Friday
and Dec. 15, retired Vice Adm. Jack Fetterman said Monday.
Commercial tugs will pull the 888-foot Vietnam War-era flattop through the Gulf of Mexico, arriving at the Port of
Pensacola two to three days after departure.
The ship is expected to be sunk 25 miles southeast of Pensacola Pass in early June, when it will become the largest
artificial reef of its type off the continental United States, attracting divers and anglers from around the globe.
"The tow plan has been approved,'' said Fetterman, president and CEO of the Naval Aviation Museum Foundation and a
driving force in bringing the ship to Pensacola. "We're in the final countdown right now.''
The Oriskany was scheduled to be scuttled in August, but several environmental issues delayed the event, keeping
the ship docked in Corpus Christi, Texas, while the Pensacola Bay Area braced for and then recovered from Hurricane Ivan.
"We're actually thrilled that we didn't have it (in Pensacola) before the hurricane hit,'' said Pat Dolan, a spokesperson
for the Naval Sea Systems Command, which is in charge of the reefing project. "So it might have been a small miracle that
it was delayed. A blessing in disguise.''
The stripped and rusty ship will undergo final sinking preparations in Pensacola, while Navy and U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency officials review revisions of disposal permits needed to put Oriskany on the sea floor.
Because of safety concerns, Fetterman warns the public to "look, but not touch'' the ship, which will be moored on
the west side of the Pensacola port. He also hopes that the sink date is moved up to avoid hurricane season, which starts
June 1.
But first things first.
"Getting her here is nine-tenths of the game,'' Fetterman said. "We've had some delays, but we've never had any discussions
that this ship will not be sunk.''
PHOTO
Fetterman
Copyright (c) Pensacola News Journal. All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of Gannett Co., Inc. by NewsBank,
inc.
Pensacola News-Journal
December 1, 2004 Section:
Local Page: 1C
Oriskany now set to arrive within weeks Doug Haller Staff Pensacola News Journal
Ship will dock at port before becoming reef
Doug Haller
@PensacolaNewsJournal.com
The ship is rusty. It doesn't have a flight deck. It doesn't have much of its bulkhead insulation. But it soon will
have a new home.
The decommissioned aircraft carrier Oriskany is set to arrive in Pensacola around Dec. 18, a major step in the
process that will send it to the sea floor as an artificial reef. The sinking is to take place in June, 25 miles south of
Pensacola Pass.
"Over the past few months, there were several times when my faith was tested, but I tried to keep the faith,'' said
Robert Turpin, chief of Escambia County Marine Resources. "I just tried to focus on my role in assisting the technical work
and issues so that it could come here.''
Oriskany was scheduled to be scuttled in August, when it was expected to attract divers and anglers from around
the globe, pumping millions of dollars into the Northwest Florida economy. But several environmental issues delayed the event,
keeping the flattop docked in Corpus Christi, Texas, while the area braced for and recovered from Hurricane Ivan.
Turpin recently toured the ship with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officials and was pleased with the progress.
Workers removed Oriskany's wooden flight deck to reduce an estimated 700 pounds of polychlorinated biphenyls, an industrial
compound known to cause cancer in animals.
"I wouldn't say the ship was naked,'' Turpin said. "But (it was without) a lot of what I would call questionable materials
that could cause entanglements with diving.''
Oriskany will take temporary residence at the Port of Pensacola, secured next to the Bayfront Auditorium. In
the coming months it will undergo final sink preparations while environmental and military officials continue to work on environmental
agency disposal permits.
Assistant Port Director Leon Walker said the port is 90 percent recovered from storm damage and should have no problem
accommodating the 888-foot ship.
"We're hopeful to get it in and get the work done so we can sink it as soon as possible,'' Walker said.
Copyright (c) Pensacola News Journal. All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of Gannett Co., Inc. by NewsBank,
inc.
Preparing the decommissioned aircraft carrier Oriskany for
sinking as an artificial reef off the coast of Florida is going to take more time, more money and a more extensive environmental
review than planned, Navy officials announced Oct. 8.The Navy had originally hoped to sink Oriskany in the Gulf of Mexico
off Pensacola, Fla., this past summer. But now that won’t take place until next summer, hopefully before the peak of
hurricane season.Oriskany is undergoing environmental cleaning at a facility in Corpus Christi, Texas as part of a $2.2 million
Navy contract.Once that work started and Oriskany’s asphalt flight deck was scraped off, tests determined the ship’s
original wooden flight deck was contaminated with higher levels of PCBs, and needed to be removed. A cost estimate is not
yet available for the extra work.Keeping Oriskany at Corpus Christi through December will cost an extra $1.1 million, said
Patricia Dolan, a Naval Sea Systems Command spokeswoman. In December or January, officials say, the ship will be towed to
Pensacola.More time is needed for environmental review, as the Navy works with the Environmental Protection Agency on the
studies it needs to complete for a PCB disposal permit. The process for the EPA-issued permit to sink the ship should take
six to nine months, Dolan said.Despite the delays, sinking the ship will still be less expensive then breaking it apart at
a disposal yard, she said. Last year, the Navy was granted authority to transfer decommissioned ships to states for sinking
as artificial reefs as part of the 2004 National Defense Authorization Act.In April, NavSea picked a proposal from Florida
to sink Oriskany in 212 feet of water 22 nautical miles offshore.Navy officials have identified almost two dozen decommissioned
ships available for reefing. ---------------------------------------------------- Contributed, YNCS Don Harribine,
USN(Ret)
October 5, 2004 Section: Local Page: 1C
Divers could have to wait until June for Oriskany Doug
Haller Staff Pensacola
News Journal
The decommissioned aircraft carrier Oriskany
may not reach the sea floor until June, local officials involved in the reefing project say.
But the ship could arrive in Pensacola
as early as late December if the Port of Pensacola
recovers in time from damage associated with Hurricane Ivan.
Retired Vice Adm. Jack Fetterman, a driving
force behind Pensacola's bid for Oriskany, said the Navy still awaits disposal
permits from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Fetterman remains confident Oriskany
eventually will go down 25 miles south of PensacolaPass,
where it is expected to attract divers and fishermen from around the world.
"With Oriskany being the lead ship,
everybody wants to get everything right,'' Fetterman said.
Originally, Oriskany was to be sent
to the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico in August to become the largest artificial reef of its kind off
the continental United States. But delays have surfaced.
Now contractors are removing Oriskany's
wooden flight deck to reduce the estimated 700 pounds of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) on board.
The ship's pier contract in Corpus
Christi, Texas, expires Dec. 15. If remediation is complete, Oriskany
could be towed to the Port of Pensacola,
where it will stay until June.
"We're exploring that option -- nothing
has been confirmed,'' said Chuck Porter, port director. "We have, of course, sustained, some hurricane damage, but we're cautiously
optimistic we can accommodate the Oriskany.''
The decommissioned aircraft carrier Oriskany
is due to become the largest man-made reef.
Fetterman
August 4, 2004 Section: Main Page: 1A, 4A
Oriskany's role as reef delayed Doug
Haller Staff Pensacola
News Journal
New window of September set for sinking
Doug Haller
@PensacolaNewsJournal.com
The USS Oriskany will not reach the depths of the Gulf of Mexico until mid-September, at the earliest.
The Navy and the Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday delayed the decommissioned aircraft carrier's Pensacola
arrival for a month, giving both parties more time to resolve issues relating to polychlorinated biphenyls on the vessel.
Pat Dolan, department director for the Naval Sea System Command's office of congressional and public affairs, said
the Navy continues to work with EPA Region IV to obtain a risk-based disposal permit, a prerequisite to sinking the ship as
an artificial reef.
Under the new time line, Oriskany will leave Corpus Christi, Texas, for Pensacola in early September, during
the height of hurricane season. A Naval demolition team at the Port of Pensacola then will prepare the ship for the sea floor,
25 miles southeast of Pensacola Pass.
"We're concerned about hurricane season, but hurricane season is only a problem if there's a hurricane out there,''
said Robert Turpin, Escambia County marine resources chief. "Not to be Pollyanna about it, but just look at this (delay) for
what it is. A process.''
Oriskany -- one of the Navy's most heavily used flattops of the Vietnam War -- is the first in a new program
that turns decommissioned Navy vessels into artificial reefs. It will become the largest artificial reef of its kind, frequented
by divers from around the world.
Retired Vice Adm. Jack Fetterman, a driving force in securing Oriskany, has contacted U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller,
R-Chumuckla, and Gov. Jeb Bush's office in hopes of speeding up the time line.
"The longer you wait, the more convoluted it becomes,'' said Fetterman, who wonders why the PCB issue wasn't resolved
months ago.
"As of now, EPA is working with the Navy as expeditiously as possible in our review of the risk assessment to insure
that this activity will protect human health and the environment,'' EPA spokesperson Laura Niles said in a statement.
The risk-based PCB disposal permit allows sinking Oriskany with some solid PCB-containing materials remaining
on board, such as electrical cable insulation, fiberglass bulkhead insulation, applied paints and various rubber products.
Liquid PCBs on the Oriskany have been removed, but other forms remain. Most are tied up in an estimated 403,600
pounds of electrical cable insulation running throughout the aircraft carrier's deck levels and also in the ship's bulkhead
insulation.
The EPA also has postponed an Aug. 10 public meeting to discuss the Oriskany project.
"The odds of PCBs completely eliminating (Oriskany's sinking) are very, very small,'' Turpin said. "Everybody
just wants to make sure this is done right. It would be unfortunate to rush into something. I guess I'm disappointed, but
that's tempered with the realization that is the largest artificial reef ever to be constructed.'''
PHOTO
Fetterman
Turpin
News Journal file photo
The aircraft carrier Oriskany, a workhorse during the Vietnam War, is slated to be scuttled off the Panhandle
coast, about 25 miles southeast of Pensacola Pass.
We have received some nice photos from Ed Cullum of Plano TX as he was flying over the ORISKANY the week of August 1.
These pictures of the Oriskany (CVA 34) were taken at the Port of Corpus Christi from a Southwest Airlines plane
departing from Corpus on Tuesday morning, August 3rd, 2004
Cullum, E. E.
511-08-15
OA Division, USS Bon Homme Richard (CVA 31)
1959-1961
Edward E Cullum
1905 Meadowcreek
Plano, TX 75074
972 881-9169
This is the latest information we have about the date of the sinking of the
ship. Keep watching the Pensacola News Journal for daily updates.
The aircraft carrier Oriskany's arrival has been pushed back to an Aug.
7-10 window.
Preparations have pushed back the decommissioned Navy ship's tow date from Corpus Christi,
Texas.
It could take as long as five days to get the Vietnam-era flattop to Pensacola. Navy and Escambia County officials
hope to have the ship on the sea floor, 25 miles southeast of Pensacola Pass, about four weeks later.
The Oriskany will be the largest artificial reef of its kind and should attract divers worldwide, pumping millions
into the Pensacola Bay Area economy.
"The tow window is like a moving target,'' said Pat Dolan, spokeswoman for the Naval Sea Systems Command Inactive Ships
Program.
The Navy still is waiting for the Environmental Protection Agency to approve its health-risk assessment, which deals
with the amount of polychlorinated biphenyls remaining on the ship.
-- Doug Haller@PensacolaNewsJournal.com
Copyright (c) Pensacola News Journal. All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of Gannett Co., Inc. by NewsBank,
inc.
EDITORIALS Staff Pensacola News Journal
Oriskany on live TV? We'll watch
We love the idea of a live television broadcast of the sinking of the aircraft carrier
Oriskany as it goes to its new home on the floor of the Gulf of Mexico in September.
It's an exciting idea. But it just reflects what an event it has become.
With dive shops reporting interest from around the world, and The Discovery Channel filming a documentary about the
ship for later broadcast, it is clear that the excitement about the sinking is not limited to this area. Putting the Oriskany
down as the newest and largest artificial reef in the area is clearly an idea that is sparking enthusiasm. Four companies
have called Escambia County officials since April to ask about getting permission to film the ship's sinking; the Navy chose
the Discovery documentary, which guarantees nationwide publicity for this area and for the Oriskany reef.
As usual, retired Vice Adm. Jack Fetterman is out ahead of the pack with an innovative and exciting idea.
"If we can find some way to beam this back to Pensacola, whether it be in the (National Museum of Naval Aviation) or
someplace else, where these guys (Oriskany veterans) can sit in a chair and watch, that would be nice," he said.
It sounds like something that has the potential to become a local "event," one of those things that catches people's
fancy.
Would anyone sit glued to the TV for the entire estimated seven hours or so that it should take for the carrier to
go down? Probably not. But "sinking parties"? We can see that. It's easy to imagine people checking in regularly throughout
the day, marking how much lower the ship is on the water, and then gathering in front of the TV for its final moments on the
surface.
Then the question will be: Where were you went the ship went down?
Of course, we expect that plenty of people will be in their boats at the site itself. But given the choice between
spending hours bobbing in the ocean -- at a "safe" distance as determined by the Navy -- as the ship slowly sinks, or being
able to check in on it periodically on the TV with popcorn and refreshments in hand, we think the televised option will be
popular.
Of course, it might be hard to top the kind of enthusiasm shown by Robert Turpin, Escambia County marine resources
chief, who played a major role in submitting the winning proposal that brought Oriskany to Pensacola.
"In a fantasy world, I'd like to be strapped on to (Oriskany) and ride her all the way to the bottom," Turpin
said. "Of course, that's impossible, but it's nice that I'll get a chance to watch her on television.''
Well, it's certainly an intriguing idea, Robert. But we think we'll opt to watch it on TV as well.
Especially if it's a live broadcast.
GOOD PUBLICITY
The seven-hour sinking of the Oriskany to turn the aircraft carrier into an artificial reef likely would go
down well with the public if they could check in on it on television at their convenience.
Copyright (c) Pensacola News Journal. All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of Gannett Co., Inc. by NewsBank,
inc.
Steps for Oriskany's final voyage on course Doug
Haller Staff Pensacola
News Journal
July 19, 2004
Doug Haller
@PensacolaNewsJournal.com
Weather permitting, the USS Oriskany should arrive at the Port of Pensacola on Aug. 5 or 6 for final preparations
to put it on the Gulf of Mexico floor 25 miles southeast of Pensacola Pass.
This is the first time a ship of Oriskany's size will be made into an artificial reef, so U.S. Navy, Escambia
County and environmental officials are reviewing every detail of the rusty aircraft carrier's remediation, including the amount
of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) on board.
If all goes as planned, Oriskany will sink in late August or early September.
"A few unknowns are out there, but we don't anticipate any showstoppers,'' said Harry White, public affairs officer
at Pensacola Naval Air Station. "I often refer to it as a paint-by-numbers. We won't know what the picture will look like
until we get to that last number, but we're getting there. We've had great cooperation from everyone.''
In another development, the Navy has decided that safety concerns rule out taking Oriskany veterans out to watch
the ship sink. But Vice Adm. Jack Fetterman, a driving force to bring the Oriskany to Pensacola, said the event might
be televised in certain locations.
"If we can find some way to beam this back to Pensacola, whether it be in the (National Museum
See Cleanup,4A
it be in the (National Museum of Naval Aviation at Pensacola Naval Air Station) or someplace else, where these guys
can sit in a chair and watch, that would be nice,'' said Fetterman, adding that Oriskany veterans and the public are
free to find their own transportation to the sink site.
The 888-foot Oriskany, one of the Navy's most heavily used aircraft carriers during the Vietnam War, has spent
the past eight months at Texas Dock and Rail in Corpus Christi, Texas, where workers are stripping it of hazardous material.
The amount of PCBs on the Oriskany has dictated the time line. PCBs have been shown to cause cancer and a number
of serious non-cancer health effects in animals
Liquid PCBs on the Oriskany have been removed, but other forms remain. Most are tied up in an estimated 403,600
pounds of electrical cable insulation running throughout the aircraft carrier's deck levels and also in the ship's bulkhead
insulation.
The Navy has proposed leaving most of these materials on board because it believes they will cause no harm in the Gulf.
Navy officials have submitted a health-risk assessment to the federal Environmental Protection Agency for review.
"If you are going to reef a vessel, this is a standard process,'' said Pat Dolan, spokeswoman for the Naval Sea Systems
Command Inactive Ships Program.
Fetterman anticipates no problems in sinking the carrier, adding that every agency is going to great lengths to be
thorough and complete.
"This is the lead ship,'' Fetterman said. "They want to get everything down perfectly. Everybody's being overly reactive
and overly sensitive right now, as they should be.''
The USS Oriskany is scheduled to arrive in Pensacola on Aug. 5 or 6, depending on the weather. The aircraft
carrier, which was heavily used in the Vietnam War, will become a reef in the Gulf.
Decommissioned carrier needs more prep time before arrival
Doug Haller
@PensacolaNewsJournal.com
The USS Oriskany's transformation to an artificial reef has been delayed three weeks as the ship undergoes preparations
in Corpus Christi, Texas.
The decommissioned, 888-foot-long aircraft carrier should arrive in Pensacola in early August, said retired Vice Adm.
Jack Fetterman, a driving force in securing Northwest Florida as Oriskany's final resting place.
Once here, the ship likely will stay docked for no longer than a month as a Navy demolition team makes arrangements
for Oriskany's scuttling 25 miles southeast of Pensacola Pass. This is the first time a ship Oriskany's size
will be sunk deliberately to become a reef to be frequented by divers.
"We'd love to see the ship on the bottom by late August or the first week of September,'' said Fetterman, who has invited
former Oriskany pilot and U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., to the ship's sendoff, including a memorial service.
The Naval Sea Systems Command delayed Oriskany's transfer to Pensacola to complete the exhaustive task of preparing
the ship for the ocean floor.
All the preparations, excluding demolition, will conclude in Texas. Fuels and oils are being removed, and asbestos-containing
materials are being disposed.
Escambia County Marine Resources Chief Robert Turpin visited the aircraft carrier in Texas on Wednesday and Thursday.
He estimated that preparations were 86 percent complete, though he was dismayed to see the contractors' work force had decreased
from about 150 workers to 90.
Turpin said the cleanup crews also must ensure the ship meets Navy, Florida and Escambia County safety precautions
when the ship turns into a diving attraction. The flight deck of Oriskany will be 130 feet below the surface, within
range of experienced divers.
Turpin said there were "literally miles of wiring'' in the ship's superstructure as well as safety netting made from
steel cables that were potential diving threats.
He walked around with a supervisor, using green fluorescent spray paint to point out potential hazards.
"We're not trying to achieve the impossible; diving can be a dangerous activity," Turpin said. "We're just looking
to reduce a reasonable amount of hazards."
The delay produces one concern: hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to Nov. 30. Under ideal conditions, officials
say it will take tugboats three to four days to bring Oriskany from Texas.
Of course, the longer the wait, the better the chance for foul weather.
"As you get deeper into September, the hurricane season intensifies,'' said Harry White, public affairs officer at
Pensacola Naval Air Station. "The quicker we get her to the bottom of the Gulf, the better off we'll be.''
It's undecided where Oriskany will reside once it reaches Pensacola. The downtown Port of Pensacola is the leading
candidate, though Allegheny Pier at the Naval Air Station has been considered. A definite decision on the port and a definite
sinking date will be decided in the next few weeks.
Oriskany will be open for public viewing, but closed for boarding except to Oriskany veterans, who may
receive carefully guided tours over a couple of days.
Fetterman warns: "It really is a rusty bucket. Nothing will look good about that ship.''
Efforts are continuing to bring thousands of the ship's veterans to Pensacola. Oriskany was one of the Navy's
most heavily used aircraft carriers during the Vietnam War.
On June 4, Fetterman wrote a letter to McCain, a former Oriskany pilot who was shot down and held as a prisoner
of war.
"Based on my daily dialogue with Oriskany crew members, from all over the country, I expect in excess of 2,000
veterans to attend and participate in the ceremony and witness the following day's reefing,'' Fetterman wrote to McCain.
Fetterman hopes McCain will be the memorial's key speaker.
"(McCain) has a lot of emotional ties to that ship,'' he said. "If his schedule allows, I think he'll be here.''
Fetterman said a small cruise liner might be contracted to take veterans out to see the ship's demise.
But he won't promise excitement. He estimates it could take seven hours for Oriskany to sink.
"There won't be any fireworks,'' he said. "No Roman candles going off. It's going to be just like watching something
sink in the bathtub.''
But the payoff comes later.
Oriskany is expected to attract fishermen and divers from all over the world.
Not to mention the symbolism of an aircraft carrier sinking just 25 miles from Pensacola, "The Cradle of Naval Aviation."
"I think it's fitting for her to be buried off Pensacola, I really do,'' Fetterman said. "I think it's a very fitting
ending to her life."
Escambia County FL was chosen on April 5, 2004, to be the final
destination for the "Oriskany" Reef Project. The USS Oriskany CV/CVA-34 is destined to become an artificial reef sometime
in 2004.
Photo by William Noonan
In a news release from Escambia County FL Office of Public Information and Communications dated April 5, 2004,
the U.S. Navy and the Maritime Administration named Escambia County as the site for the USS Oriskany to be used for an artificial
reef. This is the first time a ship of this size has been sunk for this purpose.
"Today is a great day for our Community and our Region," Escambia
County Commissioner Bill Dickson said. The process to bring the ship to Escambia County as its final resting place began
over a year ago when Commissioner Bill Dickson and Marine Resources Chief, Robert Turpin, received information regarding a
meeting in Jacksonville concerning decommissioned Navy ships. Mr. Turpin attended the meeting and found out that the
"Oriskany" was available as a reef.
The community has been involved in this project from the very
beginning and has been waiting in anticipation of this announcement. "In view of the vital role the Oriskany played
in our Nation's history as well as its connection to the Pensacola area - the Cradle of Naval Aviation, it is indeed an honor
to have Escambia County selected as the final resting place for this proud ship," said Commissioner Dickson.
The decision to place the ship in waters off Escambia County is
expected to have a positive economic impact on the local region by attracting tourists to dive and fish the reef. The
hull of the decommissioned Oriskany will be located in the Gulf of Mexico approximately 24 miles southeast of Pensacola Pass.
The Navy has committed $2.8 million for preparation and deployment as a reef.
CORPUS CHRISTI DOCK by EMO
The "Mighty O” slipped through the mist
To her Corpus Christi dock.
They will clean her up and weld her doors
They never more will lock.
The Lexington looks on at night
Her decks are all ablaze.
She is such a fine museum,
No more fighting days.
The ships are now so different
Though built to launch and land.
The Lexington will sit at dock
The Oriskany on the sand.
The crews that come to work on her
Will find a lot to fix.
The "Big O" has been to a lot of yards
And still has a lot of tricks.
There are tales we know from years gone by
Of ghosts that haunt her depths.
Tools are known to fly around
And unknown crewmen steps.
Lots of things have happened
In the miles of passageways
Many years and many men
Have spent their nights and days.
I believe that it is fitting
To bury her at sea
To put to rest, uneasiness
From things that may not be.
The spirits that inhabit her
Will sleep in peace once more
No more rude intrusions
No more threats of war.
The crew are all so proud of her
The honor that she knows
We will watch her slip into the sea
And watch her legend grow.
Above photo by Randy Curtis
The USS Oriskany has been harbored in Port Neches TX since 1998. On January
19, 2004, the ship was towed from Beaumont to Corpus Christi TX for the purpose of cleaning and removal of solvents and chemicals,
and preparation for the scuttling.
At the conclusion of the cleaning, sometime around six months, the ship will be towed
to its final resting place. The spot is yet to be decided.
Pensacola FL, Corpus Christi TX, a spot in Mississippi, and the South Carolina/Georgia
border are all sites being considered by the Navy and the US Maritime Administration.
Ray Dietrich has provided the Oriskany Museum with the following information, and
we want to share this with all former crew members and their families:
On Saturday and Sunday, April 24 and 25, 2004, Oriskany crew members and their families
(only) are invited to Corpus Christi to have a look at the ship! A plan has been set up for crew to view the entire
ship from the dock, and you will be able to walk up and down the dock, take pictures and enjoy a great close up look.
There will be a security/safety line established that no one will be allowed to cross, but the view will be fantastic.
This special viewing will take place from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on that weekend. No one will be allowed to board the
ship but the docks will be closed to all but former shipmates as a special event and perhaps your final look at the ship.
The plans were arranged by Ray and Steve,, a representative of the Texas Rails
and Docks Co., in Corpus Christi. Ray can be reached at 210-333-6135 or raydietrich@ev1.net if you wish to discuss anything about your coming to Corpus Christi.
It is recommended that you bring some kind of ID that identifies you as a former shipmate
of the USS Oriskany.
We are not providing names of accommodations - your trip is your own this time!
Ship in Corpus Christi- photo by Randy Curtis
Photo by William Noonan
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USS Lexington in Corpus Christi
Above photo by Randy Curtis of Corpus Christi
The Oriskany Reunion Association and the Oriskany Museum wish to thank all who have sent e
mails, newspaper clippings, photos, tv interviews to the museum for a scrapbook which will chronicle this last chapter of
the Mighty O! Without all of your efforts, people living offsite would not be able to share this experience!
