Oriskany Drive By...

[QuoVadis]

To all those who are itching to dive the Oriskany, I just want to say that I drive by the ship everyday going to work and it looks incredible. Even though it is "small" compared to todays floating beasts, the darn thing still is quite massive. It's going to be an awesome dive.

P.S.
Does drool come out of leather???

 

[H2Andy]

awesome...

it's bigger than the Spiegel Grove, right? i thought i read somewhere that the
Oriskany is going to be the biggest artificial wreck thus far...

of course, the record won't last long. i also recall reading that the Navy is going to
be sctuttling larger carriers as wrecks soon.

 

[CBulla]

Its bigger than the SG, Andy...

 

[H2Andy]

(oh good, an argument!)

ah... no it isn't?

 

[SuPrBuGmAn]

At 888' it'll be the biggest artificial wreck, for now. You're right Andy, the Navy has some 1000'+ carriers waiting to be cleaned and bid on to be sunk in other areas.

Next time I'm in Pensacola, I gotta get some pics of "The Big O" before they put her on the bottom.

 

[JHammer]

If you are interested in the history of the Oriskany, and you can find it, there is a great book about it's time in Vietnam. I forget who wrote it, but it's called "Over the Beach" and follows an air wing during their tours. There is a lot about the ship including the fire that almost sunk her in the Gulf of Tonkin. It's a good read for history buffs, has shipboard life, combat interviews, and even a pilot's POW experience. For divers I think that reading about wrecks helps give perspective on the ship itself and what she has been through, it's not just a junk pile.

 

[simbrooks]

So in your drive by's you never thought of shooting something at it and sinking it where it stands - making it a shallow shore dive??? Send us pics, but i feel it will look like a large flat area, with tallish tower to one side, maybe a little below deck area might be fun, but fairly deep from what i hear.

 

[mike_s]

At 888' it'll be the biggest artificial wreck, for now. You're right Andy, the Navy has some 1000'+ carriers waiting to be cleaned and bid on to be sunk in other areas..

yup, this'll be cool. She's just slightly larger than the Saratoga,
which is the only other Carrier you can currently dive on.
(The Saratoga, 880feet long, is sunk in the Bikini Atoll in the South Pacific.)


Other 'large ships' to be sunk soon include the USS Vandenberg to
be sunk off/near Key West, sometime....

For history of the Oriskany, you can also go to http://www.ussoriskany.com/
make sure to click on the Oriskany as a Reef link.

 

[nategasser]

Hi,

Anyone know, from past experience with sinkings, how long between the sinking of the Oriskany and when they (whoever they are) will let us dive it? Or until dive boats will take the general public out?

Thanks,
Nate

 

[teknitroxdiver]

I took a look at it over Christmas break, the first time I saw it...WOW! That thing is big! Here's some pictures I took: http://community.webshots.com/user/jonathank. Click on the link that says Oriskany.

Can't wait to dive it!