ScubaTigress
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I got to watch her sink myself... it was awesome 
USS Kittiwake-Grand Cayman
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KINGSTON, Jamaica – A decommissioned U.S. Navy ship was scuttled Wednesday in the clear Caribbean waters of the Cayman Islands, where officials say the sunken vessel will attract fish and tourists.
The USS Kittiwake, a 1945-vintage submarine rescue ship, rests on a sandy bottom off Grand Cayman's Seven Mile Beach. The 47-foot-tall (14-meter) ship is at a depth of 62 feet (19 meters), so the top deck is close to the Caribbean Sea's surface, making it easily accessible for snorkelers and divers.
Crews carefully flooded the rusty hulk so the 2,200-ton (1,995 metric ton) ship would settle upright. Holes were punched in the hull and large pumps gradually piped sea water into the ship, which was compartmentalized into three sections.
As it began to sink in a cascade of bubbles, the Kittiwake leaned a bit to its starboard side. But divers reported it landed upright on its keel.
"It was just perfect execution, nice and even. She landed exactly where she was supposed to," project manager Nancy Easterbrook said during a phone interview from a nearby boat on Seven Mile Beach.
The Kittiwake's scuttling raised mixed emotions in Jon Glatstein, who was a sailor on the vessel from 1984 to 1986. He traveled to this wealthy British Caribbean territory to watch his old ship sink beneath the waves.
"This is the first time I've seen the ship in 25 years, and she's in pretty rough shape. But she's been serving divers all her life and now she's going to continue doing just that. That's got to be a whole lot better than getting melted down for razor blades," said Glatstein, now an IT manager in Miami.
The ship, which assisted U.S. submarine operations around the globe for decades, was anchored in recent years among the rusting vessels of the James River Reserve Fleet, commonly known as the "Ghost Fleet," in Fort Eustis, Virginia. It was towed to the Cayman Islands last month.
About 40 boats carrying locals and tourists circled around the ship to watch it sink. Several parasailers enjoyed a birds-eye view under clear skies.
Officials had hoped to sink the ship Tuesday, but windy weather and choppy seas forced a postponement.
Divers will attach mooring lines to the ship on the seafloor Thursday, and the scuttled Kittiwake should be open to the public on Friday, according to Easterbrook.
Premier McKeeva Bush said the operation "represents the single most significant occurrence in a decade for Cayman's dive industry."
Besides being a lure for tourists, the Kittiwake will be an artificial reef that can shelter fish and crustaceans in waters known for excellent visibility and abundant sea life.
The Kittiwake joins the MV Captain Keith Tibbetts, a Russian frigate sunk off the coast of Cayman Brac in 1996 that is now decorated with a thick coating of sponges and corals.
(This version CORRECTS to say Fort Eustis instead of St. Eustis)
The USS Kittiwake, a 1945-vintage submarine rescue ship, rests on a sandy bottom off Grand Cayman's Seven Mile Beach. The 47-foot-tall (14-meter) ship is at a depth of 62 feet (19 meters), so the top deck is close to the Caribbean Sea's surface, making it easily accessible for snorkelers and divers.
Crews carefully flooded the rusty hulk so the 2,200-ton (1,995 metric ton) ship would settle upright. Holes were punched in the hull and large pumps gradually piped sea water into the ship, which was compartmentalized into three sections.
As it began to sink in a cascade of bubbles, the Kittiwake leaned a bit to its starboard side. But divers reported it landed upright on its keel.
"It was just perfect execution, nice and even. She landed exactly where she was supposed to," project manager Nancy Easterbrook said during a phone interview from a nearby boat on Seven Mile Beach.
The Kittiwake's scuttling raised mixed emotions in Jon Glatstein, who was a sailor on the vessel from 1984 to 1986. He traveled to this wealthy British Caribbean territory to watch his old ship sink beneath the waves.
"This is the first time I've seen the ship in 25 years, and she's in pretty rough shape. But she's been serving divers all her life and now she's going to continue doing just that. That's got to be a whole lot better than getting melted down for razor blades," said Glatstein, now an IT manager in Miami.
The ship, which assisted U.S. submarine operations around the globe for decades, was anchored in recent years among the rusting vessels of the James River Reserve Fleet, commonly known as the "Ghost Fleet," in Fort Eustis, Virginia. It was towed to the Cayman Islands last month.
About 40 boats carrying locals and tourists circled around the ship to watch it sink. Several parasailers enjoyed a birds-eye view under clear skies.
Officials had hoped to sink the ship Tuesday, but windy weather and choppy seas forced a postponement.
Divers will attach mooring lines to the ship on the seafloor Thursday, and the scuttled Kittiwake should be open to the public on Friday, according to Easterbrook.
Premier McKeeva Bush said the operation "represents the single most significant occurrence in a decade for Cayman's dive industry."
Besides being a lure for tourists, the Kittiwake will be an artificial reef that can shelter fish and crustaceans in waters known for excellent visibility and abundant sea life.
The Kittiwake joins the MV Captain Keith Tibbetts, a Russian frigate sunk off the coast of Cayman Brac in 1996 that is now decorated with a thick coating of sponges and corals.
(This version CORRECTS to say Fort Eustis instead of St. Eustis)
conman
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If you are considering a trip to Cayman to see this wreck, I would do it before early summer.
Looks as if any tropical disturbance rolls through it could do some damage to the upper structure
Looks as if any tropical disturbance rolls through it could do some damage to the upper structure
Finally!
Time for us to design a virtual dive site for the Kitti then
Time for us to design a virtual dive site for the Kitti then
Scubant
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Going in a few weeks to Grand Caymen and I have already booked with Divetech to take me and follow divers. I've been watching since July to see what was happening with this ship and to be one of the first to dive it is cool. I watched the video and it looks so close to shore and barely under the suface! I'll post after I'm back and let you know how it went. Can't wait!!!!
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It's open today, isn't it? Thought we'd have some reports.
Good diving, Craig
Good diving, Craig
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I'm surprised at the paucity of diving reports, especially after all the publicity regarding the sinking. Doen't anyone have something to say?
Best, Craig
Best, Craig
I dived the Kittiwake yesterday, so 8 or 9 days after the sinking. We went with Divers Down who are probably one of the top 2 or 3 operators in GCM these days (I live here and have probably dived with 90% of the operators over the years).
It's a really fun dive with lots of opportunities for penetrating the wreck. Great visibility, I expect that this dive will become the next "must dive" along with Stingray City. Although it's going to be so heavily dived I'm wondering whether it will attract as much life as is hoped for - time will tell though. There was big barracuda inside yesterday who had already made the place home!
It's a really fun dive with lots of opportunities for penetrating the wreck. Great visibility, I expect that this dive will become the next "must dive" along with Stingray City. Although it's going to be so heavily dived I'm wondering whether it will attract as much life as is hoped for - time will tell though. There was big barracuda inside yesterday who had already made the place home!
trim2gofast
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I too dived the Kittiwake yesterday with Diver's Down, I suspect I was on the same boat as Drum. Everything he said was true. And that was one big 'cuda! The only bad thing for me was that my camera battery died after about the first 15 minutes. It was so nice as we were the first boat to arrive in the afternoon and when we surfaced, there were about 3-4 other boats in moored and diving. It is definately a must do dive. I would dive it over Stingray City any day.
Today, we did two great shore dives at Sunset House. Got to see the submarine. I'm sure we were in a lot of subpassenger's photos. Great day and we are all exhausted.
Today, we did two great shore dives at Sunset House. Got to see the submarine. I'm sure we were in a lot of subpassenger's photos. Great day and we are all exhausted.
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