Key West · United States · Wreck · Artificial reef
USNS Vandenberg
The world's second-largest artificial reef, sunk in 2009
Photo: U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Nicholas S. Tenorio · Public domain
A 159-metre (522-foot) missile-range instrumentation ship sunk off Key West in 2009 and, after the carrier USS Oriskany, the second-largest artificial reef in the world. She landed upright in nearly 150 feet (45 m) of water, with masts and antennas trimmed to leave 40 to 45 feet (14 m) of clearance under the surface, so the structure starts around 12 m and the sand lies past recreational depth.
Also known as General Hoyt S. Vandenberg.
Where it is and how deep
24.4597° N, 81.7372° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The ship measures 522 feet 10 inches (159.36 m), which makes her the second-largest artificial reef in the world after the aircraft carrier USS Oriskany, and no single dive takes in more than a section of her. She sits upright on the bottom six miles off the Keys, inside the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, so every dive on her starts with a run offshore.
Depth sets the plan. The stacks, masts and antennas were trimmed before the sinking to leave 40 to 45 feet (12 to 14 m) of clearance under the surface, and the ship stands 30 m (100 ft) from keel to that highest point, so the hull runs down to a seabed at nearly 150 feet (45 m). Working the upper decks and superstructure keeps the profile shallowest; anything lower is deep-diving territory and short on bottom time. What she did for diving in the Keys is measurable: after she went down, the share of recreational scuba diving on artificial reefs rose by 442 per cent, an extra 34,394 dives.
The wreck
- Vessel
- USNS General Hoyt S. Vandenberg
- Type
- Missile-range instrumentation ship (T-AGM-10)
- Length
- 159 m (522 ft)
- Built
- 1943
- Sunk
- 2009
- Cause
- Deliberately sunk as an artificial reef
- Lies
- Upright on the bottom in nearly 150 feet (45 m) of water
Commissioned in 1944 as the troop transport USS General Harry Taylor (AP-145), she was converted to a missile-range instrumentation vessel and renamed USNS General Hoyt S. Vandenberg (T-AGM-10) in 1964, retiring in 1983. She had been launched on 10 October 1943. On 27 May 2009 she was deliberately sunk off the Keys as an artificial reef, going down in 1 minute 45 seconds and landing upright, and she remains the second-largest artificial reef in the world after USS Oriskany.
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Good | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Fair | Fair | Good | Good |
Season follows Key West: November-April is the dry season, but winter cold fronts bring the coolest water (23 C) and the lowest sourced visibility; the wet season runs May-October and storm risk peaks in September.
Know before you go
- The shallowest structure is 40 to 45 feet (12 to 14 m) down and the seabed is at nearly 150 feet (45 m), so gas and no-decompression limits end the dive, not the wreck.
Photos from USNS Vandenberg
Petty Officer 2nd Class Nicholas Tenorio · Public domain
Heavy Boat · Public domain
Staff Sgt. Rauel Tirado · Public domain
Dive videos
Diving the World’s 2nd Largest Shipwreck | USNS Vandenberg, Key West [4K] · Cascadian Montage on YouTube
Sources
- USNS General Hoyt S. Vandenberg — Wikipedia
- Diving the Vandenberg — Florida Keys & Key West tourism council
- ENC Direct: Approach obstruction (fish haven), least depth 12.1 m, Key West — NOAA Office of Coast Survey
Photo credits
- The Vandenberg's radar dish and mast rigging rising from the wreck by U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Nicholas S. Tenorio, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- US flag mounted on the wreck's mast rigging underwater by Petty Officer 2nd Class Nicholas Tenorio, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Diver hovering beside the wreck's mast and rigging by Heavy Boat, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Diver working near the rudder and propeller of the sunken ship by Staff Sgt. Rauel Tirado, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
In The Logbook
- Deep wrecks and where recreational stopsWrecks · 8 min read
- How your dive computer decidesBody & health · 10 min read
- DPV diving: what an underwater scooter changesGear & kit · 10 min read
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