USS Radford deployment most likely delayed
DAN RADEL STAFF WRITER November 26, 2010
The N.J. Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) said this week that the reefing of the USS Radford will most likely take place in April, 2011.
The reefing was tentatively planned for October or November of this year, however the preparation work is still not complete. American Marine Group is the contracting company in charge of the salvage operations.
""We're losing the window for this year and it's looking more likely that it will be deployed in the spring,'' Larry Hajna a spokesmen for the N.J. DEP said.
Hajna added that there remains no firm date but the N.J. DEP will make an announcement once they have the day planned. There is a slim chance, because of
the mild weather, that they could be able to sink the ship before the spring but it's not looking likely.
The Radford is a 563-foot destroyer and will be the longest ship reefed in the Atlantic Ocean. It was built by Ingalls Shipbuilding out of Pascagoula, Miss., and launched on March 1, 1975. It was commissioned on April 16, 1977, and decommissioned on March 18, 2003.
The Radford will be sunk on the Deljerseyland Reef, a reef site that has been developed jointly by Delaware, Maryland and New Jersey. The ship is expected to create marine habitat for many species of fish and be a popular destination for divers. It will be sunken keel first and from the top of the ship it will be sixty feet below the surface.
The Deljerseyland reef is in approximately 120 to 130 feet of water and covers about one-square mile of ocean bottom. It is about 26 nautical miles (nm) from Indian River, Del., 30 nm from Ocean City, Md., and 33 nm from Cape May.
The three states, Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey have split the costs of the Radford. The Ann E. Clark Foundation provided New Jersey's funding, a cost of
$200,000.
Dan Radel: 732-643-4072;
dradel@app.com
USS Radford deployment most likely delayed | APP.com | Asbury Park Press
