New artificial reef

  The USS Hoyt S. Vandenberg, a 524-foot former Navy vessel, may soon be Florida's newest artificial reef. The First State Bank of the Florida Keys has purchased the World War II-era missile tracking ship for $1.35-million and plans to sink it in 140 feet of water, 6 miles off the coast of Key West sometime in 2009.

Florida already has the aircraft carrier Oriskany, the largest artificial reef in the world, off the Panhandle, and the Speigel Grove, another massive ship off Key Largo. Because this new wreck will be so close to land, backers of the project believe the Vandenberg will be more accessible to a larger number of divers.

The Vandenbedrg, which retired from active duty in 1983, sat idle for 24 years among ships in the U.S. Maritime Administration's James River Naval Reserve Fleet at Fort Eustis, Va.

Backers of the project say the Vandenberg  will generate $8-million annually in tourism-related sales. The ship will also have positive environmental benefits by alleviating recreational diving pressure on nearby coral reefs.

But before the ship is actually laid to rest, workers must remove all environmental hazards from the vessel. That means stripping paint and removing almost 800,000 feet of wiring loaded with toxic materials. The project will take more than 50,000 man-hours to complete.

The Vandenberg began its career in 1943 as a troop transport ship, the Gen. Harry S. Taylor.

After participating in World War II, the Hungarian Revolution and the Cold War, it was overhauled and transformed into a missile-tracking ship. It was then christened the Vandenberg, named after the former Air Force general.