USS Spiegel Grove

[23tbob]

The stern of the Spiegel somehow sank before they wanted it to, so the bow was still above water. Then when they "blew" the charges and it did sink it came to rest on it's side -- and not upright like they wanted it to. About a year later some wave action from a hurricane some distance away actually tipped it upright -- so Mother Nature fixed it! My daughter lives in Key Largo and is a mate on a diving boat. If you do a Google on the Spiegel Grove it's pretty interesting.....

[Squarerig]

Still with her anchors and cables aboard.Does no one know what these items cost today?

[TheOp879]

sinking ships like that doesn't seem to make any sense to me. not trying to get any answers at all tho so don't try please.

[giannivee1]

don't think the Oriskany, an actual aircraft carrier is a bigger reef?  not to mention many who became reefs unintentionally, Saratoga, Yorktown, lexington????

[knottide64]

I dove the Grove off of Key Largo this past summer!!! It was a great dive, but had some current. If you really want to view her well, you will need to make multiple dives.

[metalhead1237]

awsome the ship was like 500 ans ome feet long and were it sank was only 130 feet deet so part of the ship stick out of the water that awsome

[shiyboy4]

i take it the sinking went wrong, i know that normally when a ship is scuttled it is ideal for her to straight down and sit on the ocean floor in the upright position, can be hard to do but i know thats what they usually try to do.

[shadovar123]

holy shit! it's lunatic fringe! lol never thought i'd hear it on a random video! WAR HENDO!!!!

[nothappy27]

Yo estuve ahí el 10 de junio de 2002 presenciando el hundimiento!

[vv55sst]

The initial sinking was a CF. It took a storm to "straighten her out".

[Earnyms5]

I WAS ON THAT WHEN IT SUNK OMG A SCARY TIME FOR ME

[teapotmadness]

what a waste.

[ngineer]

@77magenta At the time this video was made this ship was the largest artifical reef.

[SDBdub619]

As a former Navy guy...it's hard to see any ship go down. From the earth they came and to the earth they will go.

[jonesy97]

@SDBdub619 Well said. I get the same feeling when I see the retired jets I used to work on in the USAF sitting in the bone yard in Arizona. Makes me sad. At least we had a piece of them, so to speak.

[LGTheOneFreeMan]

@jonesy97 Well, if you have the "credentials" and the money, look into talking to a group called Evergreen Aviation. I believe they are the ones who manage that property, and you might be able to snag a retiree out of the mix if it's cleared.

[tpsossff]

@SDBdub619

I saw the old ArK Royal when she was half broken. So sad, no dignity. I would rather she was sitting intact and proud on the sea bed somewhere slowly being entomed by the billions of organism that give this planet life. That would have been a fitting ending to a fine ship.

[phonlik]

You have answered it 5 times but you havent thought to change the info in the title yet have you? Not hard is it?

[ngineer]

@phonlik ...I would have to find the original video and then change it, upload it etc. It would not be hard, but I am not sure where the original video is right now.

[weytyn4god]

@phonlik I thought the USN Flat top that was sunk recently is the biggest artificial reef ? USS Oriskany I beleive?

[skorpeon450]

@weytyn4god which is why he added a comment to the video.

[ludwigdruming]

unfortionanlty she is now the 2nd largest wreck in the world with the uss oriscany at #1.. when she sank she landed on her side. but after a large hurricane she was sat upright.. a very cool turnout.

[gonger03]

only dived that deep in the pit cenote check it out there are human skeletons in there

[caveman357]

LUNATIC FRINGE!!!!!!!!!!!!

[rabassi11]

name of the song please

[BluesWilliam]

I dove this wreck 3 times in 2 days December 11, 12 2009. Awesome dive, and one of my new favorites. 300 lb grouper in residence now. Wouldn't cooperate for my video camera. Will be posting some video once edited. We found the machine shop full of drill presses, lathes, etc and a large safe with the combo lock sheared off. I recommend to all advanced divers!

[funnyman10101]

the vandenburg is bigger and i live close to it its in keywest i live there XD

[pingusiapingusia]

what music is it???Pleas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!­!

[ngineer]

@pingusiapingusia The name of the song is lunatic fringe

[pingusiapingusia]

thaks

[fortress1133]

@ngineer By Red Rider. I actually got to see them in the 80's. This was their only "hit".

[thetreeregimovies]

lol...LSD

[Flodder450]

they should sink off an ocean liner,would be awesome

[galloway6204]

acctually the USS Oriskany is the biggest artificial reef in the world

[nikkisassy19]

Favorite dive in the US. Try to dive it twice a year if not more with some buddies from slates shop. First thing I did after i got my nitrox certification was dive this big mamma

[blodyman1]

this is the dive i wana do the most was suposed to go labor day but trip was full=( the only good thing living in florida water sports is good. the sad thing is the fucked up sinking it but it only took 1 hurricane to plce it right in the water straight up and down lol.

[927jack]

I've made many dives on the Spiegel and it never gets old!

[CaptainAmerica322]

My dad was on that ship as the navigator for 4 years.

[nicwildchild]

Its not the biggest anymore. The Vandenberg is 520! And its in Key West! So dive the Spiegle and go on down to the end of the road. The Vandenberg is a AWESOME dive!!

[too000007]

burst two fearful rhythm ,

[truckerfromreno]

try and getthose 380 Argie sailors out of the Belgrano when you are diving lol

[ringvaldse]

Sad, spent 2 weeks on the "Speigel Beagle", sat in CIC and watched USS Nimitz conduct he first air-ops on the radar screen in June '75, did work on her at NORSHIPCO in 1981. Fond memories of that ship.

[richyrider87]

pazzesco

[csgptg]

I thought the Carrier Oriskini is the biggest Artificial reef

[ngineer]

Yes, the Oriskini is bigger, but this video was made before the Oriskini was sunk. I think I have answered this question about five times now! LOL

[SimboSays]

@ngineer surely it would be easier to simply edit the description at the top?

[SimboSays]

@ngineer surely it would be easier to simply edit the description at the top?

[detroitboy65]

USS Oriskany

[mikescott53]

The Oriskany is now the largest reef, off Pensacola, Fl. I served on her in 1974 to 1976.

[ngineer]

Yes, we have stated several times that the Oriskany is now the largest artifical reef. We will probably have to state it several more times.

[NorgeJoe]

Or you can change the description...

[colindominy]

To me there's something indefinably 'sad' to see footage of a grand ship sinking beneath the waves .. particularly if it's a big ship with a significant former track record of achievement. Thankfully, only still shots are featured here .. not moving footage. On the other hand, if a former useful, proud ship needs to be gotten rid of, then I suppose it's a positive outcome, in the end, if it contributes some degree of 'Added Value' to the local marine life & local marine environment.

[ngineer]

Well, I am not sure what options there are for a ship once is has reached the end of service. I agree with your opinion that if it adds value to the marine environment and has some recreational value, then that is probably the best choice. However, it does seem to be a sad end for a grand ship.

[zathras]

It's sad especially when you've served aboard the vessle in question. I served aboard USS Belleau Wood (LHA-3) and found out that she met hte same fate as USS Spiegle Grove by visiting the ship's website. The sad part is her other 4 sister ships are still in service.

[SpartanHunt3r60]

A great sight to see.

[ColonelMichaelJNolan]

whats the name of the song

[ngineer]

The name of the song is Lunatic Fringe by Red Rider.

[balongaboy]

i belive the uss saratoga is the world biggest artifitial reef. altought that wasnt the purpose of her sinking

[b24line]

I was on this ship well before any talk of a reef was made. I didn't like the idea of calling it a wreck when they sunk on purpose. But they screwed that up. So yeah it's a wreck. It's also one of a few ships in the world that has rolled a 360.

[ngineer]

An artifical reeef is any man-made structure or material dumped into the sea for the purpose of attracting marine life to create a reef. So, a ship being one of the biggest structures is considered the largest artifical reef unless some other structure what is larger is put in the ocean for the purpose of creating an artifical reef.

[mabman33]

i thought there was a carrier that had been sunk purporsuly recently that was larger than this ship. i believe it was an old nimitz carrier

[linksys01112]

an old essex class... the oriskany

[XXscubadiverXX]

i have dove this wreck five times it is sitting on the bottom up right now a hurricane came threw and took her off her side she now sits up right .. i gotta tell you this is one awesome dive... i recomend doing it with the florida keys dive center.. they are top notch and have some great staff members.. not a dive for the beginning diver.... the first time you go down and see this thing it is awesome and you get all like wow!!!!!

[dragon3600000]

just wait for 20 years to go by. Then you wont be able to even see the original ship

[snow1321]

Very Cool Stuff Thanks!!!!!!!!

[568670B]

this is cool

[ngineer]

I am not sure how many more times I am going to have to answer this same question. LOL At the time this video was made the Grove was the largest ship used for an artifical reef. It is no longer the largest, which has been mentioned a few times already. I thought I would leave the video on here just for fun. Thanks for your comment!

[SnowHeart1]

Cool video; nice to see this. Not to quibble, but isn't the USS Oriskany (CV-34) a larger artificial reef? 904' long, 129' beam, 30k+ tons?

[mdowney06]

Just out of curiosity why was she sunk upside down? I thought when they were making artificial reefs they try their best to sink it the right way up.

[ngineer]

While making last minute adjustments the ship started to sink on her own. This caused the ship to roll over and then sink prematurely. After getting the ship to sink completely, she sunk to the bottom and came to rest on her starboard side. A couple of years later a hurricane shifted her back to the upright position.

[jajaja411]

what about all the battleships sunk during world war 2, aren't they bigger?

[ngineer]

Yes, some of the ships that were sunk in WW2 may have been bigger, but the were not sunk for the purpose of being an artificial reef and most are not accessible for diving. The ships in question were sunk strictly for the purpose of being an artificial reef for diving.

[spitgalore]

Please tell me why some ships are sunk to make artificial reefs & some are sold for scrap? Thanks for sharing such a beautiful video.

[ngineer]

I am not sure why. It might depend on who buys the ship and what their purpose is for it.

[225573275]

nice empire earth sounds =)

[SteffanLlwyd]

Good to see it done without HE!

[frankydman]

Your information is outdated, the USS Oriskany (CV-34), is a far large ship that was made into an artifical reef

[ngineer]

Yes, we are all aware of the outdated information. At the time this video was made it was correct. Actually, the Oriskany is not the largest, but it is the largest that people can dive.

[CarterFilmLtd]

This is no longer the largest artificial reef in the world. The USS ORISKANY which was sunk off the coast of Pensacola, FL now holds that title.

[supressorgrid]

I got a crazy idea, why not instead of putting 7000 tons of steel on the bottom of the ocean, lets build a new ship out of it, or make 200 locomotives or 3000 new cars...No it is better to mine a million tons of ore and refine it to make new one right?

[themightyjfox]

Cost them too much monety , plus the ' we are making a new reef ' excuse gives them a way of scrapping her for free .

[blacktooth51]

This is a sad thing for me to see. I sailed on this ship in the summer of 1970. I was a midshipman at USNA. We fired her 3" guns. We weathered a bad storm in the north Atlantic. I recall 45 degree rolls(almost 90 degree swings). There is a big stern gate that drops down to let small craft go in for repair. The Capt had it let down for us to take a swim in the north Atlantic on a nice day in August. I thought I was gonna drown when I couldnt get back on! Floated and rested, then made it back.

[GLG47]

She was in our fleet when I served on the Wood County LST1178 - '66-'70 - went to the med for 7 months 11-66 - 6-67.

[balz2dewalz]

messergo I was stationed on her in 85-87. Was a very dismal time in my naval carreer, taking on stores for a med cruise then having it cancelled because the old main feed pump pipes blew because they didnt replace them after putting in a brand new turbine.

Captain McArthey kept promissing us we would sail, and she did, 6 months after I changed duty stations she went on med cruise, and blew the pumps again and had to be towed back to port

[tigersruhl84]

They sank USS Orikansky CV 31 and thats now the largest.

[messerjo]

I remember her as building 32. She never got underway, we took all her patrols. She couldn't even sink right.

[bohemiangitana]

This was one of the most incredible dives I've ever descended to. An awe-inspiring, humbling and spiritual experience.

[bohemiangitana]

I rate my dive at the Spiegal Grove as one of my best dives ever! I was at the hull and it was the most incredible feeling - close to flying. The enormity of it - it humbles you as a diver and as a human being.

[mike71085]

Not quite the largest anymore; the Oriskany off of Pensacola is now.

[deccy100]

correction she is not the largest artificial reef the USS Orskany is (An aircraft carrier) and she is a lot bigger.

Just letting u all know.

[RedRocker9957]

umm correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't ships supposed to sink right side up to become effective artificial reefs?

[bohemiangitana]

They tried everything they could to right her up. It was the storm that righted her in the end!

[CarMoves]

She fell on her side, and a storm righted her.

[cacassser]

holy.....

[unvus2]

i dont think its the largest artifical reef, they have sunk carriers like the oriskany and thats a 800 ft plus ship

[TurboPekka]

COOL!

[DeathAngel84299]

good video, i loved the keys, i even had a shirt with two destroyers they sank for reefs on it. ah i cant wait to get scuba certified

[flyingpapou]

what is the song ?

[ngineer]

The song is Lunatic Fringe by the band Red Ryder

[mitchnmb2]

it sank like the poseidon. lol

[Jeffcv66]

I remember the Uss Spiegal Grove, she was the sponsor of my MJROTC class. I remember going on a 3 day trip with her and we were off the VA coast, Boy did I get sick from the rough seas we ran into. The first time being sea sick. But it turned out to be a good cruise and helped me make up my mind to join the Navy.

[Jeffcv66]

I remember the Uss Spiegal Grove it was our sponsor of my NJROTC class in High School. I remember a 3 day cruise on her and it was the first time I got sea sick. We went out off Va coast and were in rough seas. Even though it was a fun 3 day cruise. Too bad she's gone too

[mastersteamtug]

Too bad this did not sink on an even keel, perhaps not enough planning was done. Ican't believe the props were left on! That's a fortune in bronze...

[ngineer]

This ship started to sink by accident. There were workers aboard the ship doing the last minute preparations, and they had to evacuate because it started to sink early. That is what caused it to flip over. After it sank completely, they did manage to get it turned over on it's side. Not too long ago a hurricane did a pretty good job of straightening it up.

[ngineer]

You are right, the Spiegel Grove is no longer the largest artifical reef. When I made this video it was the largest, and it takes too much time to change it! LOL.. Anyway, I have not had a chance to dive the Oriskany yet, but I heard it is a great dive. Some say the best part of the ship for diving is too deep for most divers, but I am not sure if that is true. Thanks for the comment !!

[slrman]

Not since May of 2006. The largest title now goes to the USS Oriskany. (see my video of it) But this is a nice video. I liked it!

[Jeffcv66]

Um try again The USS AMERICA CV-66 was sunk April 2005 and she is the biggest reef now.

[ngineer]

The AMERICA is far larger than the ORISKANY, but the former was sunk in deep water during weapons and engineering tests. The ORISKANY was sunk specifically as an artificial reef. So, I guess it depends on how you look at it. Too bad we can not dive on both !! LOL