U.S. Navy divers detonated 225 kilograms of explosives aboard the USS Oriskany on Wednesday, sending the retired aircraft carrier to the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico to create the world's largest artificial reef. Hundreds of Korean and Vietnam War veterans on boats watched as the carrier slowly sank about 39 kilometers off Pensacola Beach in northwestern Florida. The 270-meter ship took 45 minutes to sink. The Oriskany was decommissioned in 1976 and is now the first ship sunk for reef building under a new Navy program to dispose of old warships. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in February approved the sinking of the ship, which contains chemical toxins in electrical cables, insulation, and paint. EPA officials said the toxins will slowly leach out over the estimated 100 years it will take the carrier to rust away, and they should pose no danger to marine life. Local leaders hope the carrier reef will help business for fishermen and scuba-diving companies.
