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| Could Escambia County soon be the final underwater resting place for a ship larger than the Oriskany and even longer than the Titanic? |
Yes, we could. Yes, this is something that is under serious consideration.
That is the buzz I am hearing from folks excited about the prospect of a nearly 1,000 foot ship, bigger that the Oriskany, being submerged in our local waters.
"This would make Escambia County waters the ULTIMATE dive spot, if we could sink the SS United States in waters off of Escambia County." said a local avid fisherman and diver with whom I spoke about the prospect of us acquiring, transporting, and ultimately scuttling the United States off the coast of Pensacola Beach.
"Right now, to our east and west, the other counties are working overtime to add more artificial reefs and dive spots---so for us to add the SS United States would help us keep pace." said this individual.
He then pulled out a tablet and showed me all the submerged reefs and ships and tanks and other features on our sea bed extending east and west and out as far as 30 miles or longer. From the HUGE amount of numbers on this graphic shown to me---it appears as if Alabama has everybody beat, with row after row of sunken features lighting up the screen. Rows and columns. Way more than Escambia--although Escambia does have a lot of Bridge pilings and concrete spoils submerged off the coast in a gigantic rectangle.
Okaloosa county has a huge footprint of sunken materials and ships as well. Also, they have a row of "columns" extending out into the Gulf in a kind of Christmas tree array. These are buoys that extend downward into the ocean to the bottom in and attract all sorts of pelagic species.
"If we could compliment the Oriskany with the SS United States--we would be a hub for divers worldwide and we would generate a lot of trips here and a lot of stays here from pro and amatuer (recreational) divers from around the world." said this angler/diver
WHAT WOULD IT TAKE--WHAT WOULD IT COST?
The move to bring SS United States to Escambia County will require a commitment of $10 Million dollars, and swift action. According to another individual with whom I spoke who has intimate knowledge of the plan to acquire and scuttle SS United States here--the vessel is up in Pennsylvania at a shipyard and must be moved by September 12th. It would have to be towed here, in the midst of peak hurricane season, and then there would have to be a plan on where to sink the vessel.
I'm told the objective would be to sink it so it is an easier dive for recreational divers who typically can only go down about 130 feet. (by contrast, the Oriskany sits in water that is 230 feet deep, with only the very top of the tower reachable by the amateur, recreational diver).
I'm told there is a spot, closer to the shore than Oriskany, where the SS America could be sunk and which would allow for the 57' of vertical clearance necessary while also allowing a much larger porition of this ship to be reachable by recreational divers than is the case currently with the Oriskany.
I like the idea, I like the plan. But $10 Million is a heavy lift. Possible funding sources include TDT funds, perhaps some BP Oil Spill money, and potentially even a Triumph Gulf Coast grant if such a project could meet that board's criteria. Stay tuned over the next several weeks as this will be discussed due to the pressing timeline. And again, for my vote, I LOVE this idea just as I LOVED the plan to bring American Magic here -- which has now come to pass.
This ship could also be a huge get for our area.
I received a strong email of support from a member of the area's Marine Advisory Committee, on some additional data and facts about the SS United States, which I will publish, below:
