Sinking the USCG Mohawk: Reefmakers to accomplish what Nazis couldn't do!

[The Chairman]

USCG Cutter Mohawk
​

The last of it's Tribe, the USCG Cutter Mohawk, Tribal Class (Class A) is the very last warship still floating that served in the North Atlantic out of Greenland during WWII. In late June, through the efforts of Joe Weatherby and Reefmakers, it will become Florida's newest artificial reef some 22 miles off of Sanibel Island in Lee County in 90 feet of water. Until recently, it has served as a museum ship at Key West but the ravages of war and weather have made keeping her afloat incredibly expensive according to her curator Captain Bill Verge. It's time for her to sink while we can decide where she's going down!

Earlier this week I got a private tour of the Mohawk from Captain Verge and I was accompanied by Joe Weatherby and the stars of Scuba Natian, Mitch and Mike. I got to see the condition she's in and had a rather long talk with Captain Verge about several significant events in the ship's history. She had 14 fights with u-boats during WWII and though has even had torpedoes go right under her and miss only to hit ships on the other side. The Mohawk was designed as an ice cutter. You can see 5/8" steel sheets that was welded to her hull to accomplish this. According to Captain Verge, this really gave her an edge in lasting this long. Unfortunately, you can feel soft spots in her deck as you walk on it. That's amazing just in itself. At almost 3" thick, it was estimated that it would cost $900,000.00 to replace just that.

Joe has his work cut out for him on this. His firm, Reefmakers, has been tasked with making this ship go down just as smoothly as did the Vandenberg. I was able to hear the behind the scenes planning about who will be doing what and to what extent. Sinking the boat is pretty easy. Joe even has a preliminary of all the holes to be cut and where the cutting charges should be placed. The real art is making everyone happy in the process. There is a veritable political minefield he has to navigate through in order to do this and Joe is the man for hour in that respect. On top of this, Joe is committed to making the vets who served on her decks feel as honored as the ones from the Vandy. After all, this is their ship. Sinking it will allow it's name and legacy to live on as divers post about their experiences.

So watch this thread in the coming weeks as Reefmakers, with Joe Weatherby gets closer to sinking the Mohawk. I'll be keeping a running blog of everything that I can divulge. That way, everyone can see what happens behind the scenes. This will be FUN.

 

[scubamarketing]

Subscribed, sounds pretty cool! I'll have to make my way down one of these days to check out your wrecks

 

[Froid]

Whoo Hoo-Finally something to dive by Sanibel!

Not that I mind the drive to Key Largo to dive with KLDC and Miselenaous

 

[k ellis]

I used to be opposed to sinking warships as it just always seemed like an terrible end to the machines that carried so many sailors across the oceans and protected them. But as I thought about it I looked back on the U.S.S. Oklahoma which was sunk in Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. A true hero to the cause she stood strong and bowed up to the Japanese who attacked that fateful morning. In the end she died a hero who despite receiving the death blows continued to fight to stay afloat up until she rolled over.

The united states decided that it was no longer needed when she was rolled back upright and sold her to be scrapped and turned in to less honorable things then the true hero she was. Today somewhere on the bottom of the Pacific she still lays intact and is still the same as she was the day she left pearl harbor. Her name still on her stearn as to defy those who thought she should be destroyed. The same with the Arizona and the Utah. Once viewed (By me) as sad they were never raised and returned to duty I know view them as legacy since unlike her fellow ships that day these 3 still stand the test of time and remain as symbols of American might.

Sinking a ship is a hard thing for one of her veteran crews to watch happen. But if it were me Id rather see my past home on the bottom and bringing so much joy to divers and researchers and historians alike then to see them destroyed and only be able to be viewed in a history book.

Id hate to watch the Mohawk go down as she appears to be a very beautiful ship indeed. But with her sinking comes not a closing of her book of life but a new chapter for years to come!

 

[Taximan Steve Lindsey]

Great title for this blog. Sums it up succintly.

Too bad the Mohawk wasn't offered to other medium and small port cities. A good faith effort was called for.

It was saved once, from this fate while moored at Staten Island. But that was back when our National Trust for Historic Preservation still backed grassroots preservation efforts.

Hon. Steven W Lindsey
state rep
Keene, Nh
(And former coastie)

 

[The Chairman]

Your Honor,

I hope you come on down and dive her with us. She'll have a long life of honor and will go on keeping her name alive for years to come as diver after diver makes the journey to dive her. My brother in law is way happy with the new notoriety that now accompanies his old ship, the Oriskany.

 

[Dave C]

It's such a shame that this vessel could not be preserved as a museum. A similar thing happened a few years ago in Honolulu, where they could no longer find the funds to maintain a wooden sailing ship that was part of the Hawaii Maritime Museum (not sure if that is exact name). I toured that ship a couple of times and really enjoyed it, but I recently heard it had been sunk as an artificial reef off Oahu. I was rather shocked by this. I know it's a lot of money to maintain these vessels, but we are losing our maritime heritage.

 

[muzikbiz22]

we are losing our maritime heritage.

I would politely disagree. If anything, by sinking these ships, I think we are bringing MORE awareness to these great ships and their great stories & heritage. I would have never otherwise heard of the Kittiwake, Oriskany, Vandenburg, Speigel, Yukon, Mitzpah, etc., if they weren't sunk and a great dive destination. They all have a great story to be told, and are also great for us divers and the fishes, too. Sunken ships make great reefs, and great reefs are good for life, and life is good for all of us Just my 2 cents.

 

[Bhtmec2]

Can not wait to try her out. Looking forward to the progress Reports

 

[D_B]

I'll add that while touring a preserved ship may be an enjoyable experience, walking the boat, seeing the thickness of her timbers, or hatchways, wondering at the past uses and men ... it's also much like a preserved fighter plane, on display, no roar from it's engines, no grace from it's wings .. unused and unsailed , nice to look at, but not "living" ... if you cant put her to sail, I like the idea of sharing her in this way