Worlds Largest Artificial Reefs

The USS Oriskany is highly publicized as the WORLDS Largest Reef. So what are the next four largest wrecks in the United States?

Would it go:

1. Oriskany
2. Vandenberg
3. Spiegel Grove
4. ?
5. ?

Let's stay with the US as the wrecks in Bikini Atoll are huge and What about the Japanese Carriers that were sunk in WWII, those carriers aren't considered artificial reefs and aren't larger than the Vandenberg? We may be debating what a diveable artificial reef is too. But it is an interesting subject.

the pacific gyre trashball

Well it seems in doing some research of my own that the USS Yorktown and the Japanese Aircraft Carriers that were sunk duing WWII were all less then the Oriskany's 911 Feet but at 855 feet the Akagi which was sunk at the during the battle of Midway would be much larger than Vandenberg's 523 feet. However, at 1700 feet deep these carriers may never be dove during our lifetime.

So we better change the question to: What are the largest diveable artificial reefs in the USA, with depths!

Here is an update as far as I know right now:

1. Oriskany - 911 feet long - (Depth 212')
2. Andrea Doria - 697 feet long - (Depth 235')
3. Arthur Radford - 564 feet long - Not yet sunk
4. Vandenberg - 520 feet long - (Depth 145')
5. Spiegel Grove - 510 feet long - (Depth 134')

the Andred Doria is not a artificial reef if that's what your looking for.

Let me confuse things further. Does the Ivan Rubble occupy more square footage of recreationally diveable seafloor than the Oriskany? How about Atlantis? Are we more concerned with cubic footage than square footage? Define "size."

What about this
New Reef

The 960-tons of reef materials consisted of 12 concrete bridge deck spans, each weighing 80 tons. Each deck span is cut into 4 pieces to facilitate removal, loading, and off-loading at the reef site.

The materials were the first of multiple deployments that will eventually form two or more “mega-reefs” approximately five nautical miles southeast of Pensacola Pass, Turpin sai

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USS Ozark 452'
USS Ozark (LSV-2) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Although it is debatable who can dive it 330' to the sand, and it was "accidentally" sunk by an anti-ship missile. It is however nearby enough to dive.

The USS Wilkes-Barre, at 608 feet should make the list. Granted, she's in two pieces on the bottom at from 140 to 320 ft.

Best dive in the Keys!

There's also the USS San Diego, at 504 feet, she might make the list.

There is always a lot of misinformation when it comes to the "largest" of things. Everyone knows the Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral reef in the world; no argument there. However, I've seen numerous claims as to what is the second largest. I've frequently seen puffery stating the Florida Keys have the second largest reef, or the Mesoamerican barrier reef off Yucatan, Belize, and Honduras is number two. The FL Keys claim is a gross exaggeration. A quick glance at a map shows the Mesoamerican reef is much bigger and longer than the FL Keys. I'm pretty sure it is the largest coral reef in the Atlantic. As to what is truly the second biggest reef after the GBR, I've read that the reef off the west coast of the island of New Caledonia, across the Coral Sea from the GBR, is the second largest. However, there is a huge amount of territory in the western Pacific and Indian Ocean with reef, so I don't know if this claim is even correct.

Regarding what is the largest "artificial" reef in the world, suffice it to say that the Oriskany is the largest artificial reef in terms of a shipwreck in the Western Hemisphere. I would not be surpised if nations that are heavily into aquaculture, such as Japan, may have larger artificial reefs, although they are likely not comprised of shipwrecks.

Thalassamania:

The USS Wilkes-Barre, at 608 feet should make the list. Granted, she's in two pieces on the bottom at from 140 to 320 ft.

Best dive in the Keys!

There's also the USS San Diego, at 504 feet, she might make the list.

Click to expand...

I would disqualify the Wilkes-Barre on the grounds that is was sunk as part of naval operations, not for the purpose of becoming an artificial reef.
This would include several other mentioned above as I would think only those sunk for the purpose of becoming an artificial reef should be included