Which one can we sink?

[justleesa]

I was at the museum on Saturday and asked about the Falls of Clyde. I thought I heard on the news that it was on the table to sink it. The woman there told me that it is still undecided. That it would cost $30,000,000 to repair it and then there would also be the cost of annual maintenance. If it were to be sunk it would cost over $1,000,000 just to get it out of the harbor....OH yeah, she also said that the insurance expires in June or July. So they might have to make up their mind soon...

 

[CaptFlyingDutchman]

Here is a good article about the Clyde. I bet you good money they will just sink it far offshore in deep water. It will be a true waste:no.

Falls of Clyde May Have Sinking Fate | KGMB9.com | Said, Collis, Hawaii, Bishop, Museum

 

[dpbishop]

The alternative to millions of dollars in clean up cost is about 8,000 hours of volunteer time. That should bring the cost down to about $500,000. If you can get someone to donate dock space, you can do tours of the ship as fund raisers while it is being cleaned up. It doesn't take a lot of material, just a lot of time. Check out the project Yukon site: San Diego Oceans Foundation for some information on the economic benefits. You don't have to sink and aircraft carrier; the Yukon is only a destroyer but estimates are that it would take over twenty dives to see the whole thing, plus it can be done non-tech within no -deco limits. I know diving to the bottom of the Orinskiny would involve some serious tech issues.

I just looked at the Falls of Clyde link posted above. If it is a true sailing ship with little or no engines on board, it should not cost that much to clean it up for sinking. Start by finding out what the insurance cost per year, if you can get someone to donate that it could give you time to mobilize the dive community to support it as a dive site. Don't forget the Sport fishing industry. If it is sunk in a barren location close to Pearl Harbor or some other major boating center it will create a new destination for them as well.

It would be a shame, though, to sink a vessel with that much historical significance. If it could be restored to seaworthiness it would be a major tourist attraction, and a bonus to any public waterfront celebrations. I know that the Star of India still brings out crowds of boats whenever it sails in San Diego.

 

[ArcticDiver]

Speaking of cleanups and cost; what is the latest on the Arizona?

 

[Al Mialkovsky]

The alternative to millions of dollars in clean up cost is about 8,000 hours of volunteer time. That should bring the cost down to about $500,000.

Really? the Vandenberg has taken 50,000 hours so far and the cost is at 9 million dollars. This isn't like habitat for humanity, you need professionals.

 

[dpbishop]

The Vandenberg is quite a bit bigger than the Yukon, and a lot bigger then the Falls of Clyde. The Yukon was done primarily by volunteers working on weekends. While professionals are needed to remove some of the more toxic materials anyone who can turn a wrench can help with most of the clean up.

 

[onfloat]

Really? the Vandenberg has taken 50,000 hours so far and the cost is at 9 million dollars. This isn't like habitat for humanity, you need professionals.

Why? granted there are some HAZMAT issues, but where is the requirement that it has to be professionals? And why couldn't they volunteer if they felt so inclined?

 

[justleesa]

I think, for the Falls of Clyde, safety would be a HUGE issue as the ship is literally falling apart. They have the bow held together with C clamps....I don't know if they would want volunteers with that risk...

 

[ScubaAndDreams]

I volunteer tom to be the super glue-hold-the-ship together guy

 

[cuddlefish]

Five or six years ago, some people made a valiant effort to get a wreck sunk off of Kona. I believe the ship was the Mauna Kea...about 500 feet long. They had all their stuff in order and were working diligently through all the red tape involved. Then a very small group of locals got together and shut the whole thing down. They claimed the wreck would poison people and the environment. They could not be convinced otherwise. Probably the same few people that want all of the moorings removed. Their reason...again, poisoning the environment and people in the water. They even said that sexually transmitted diseases could result from all the people being in the water at the dive sites with moorings. I kid you not. This is frustrating on the highest level.