Sinking Feeling: Video of US Navy ship scuttled as dive attraction

A decommissioned US navy ship was scuttled on Wednesday in the clear Caribbean waters of the Cayman Islands, where officials say the sunken vessel will attract fish and tourists. The USS Kittiwake, a 1945-vintage submarine rescue ship, now rests on a sandy bottom off Grand Cayman's Seven Mile Beach. The 47-foot-tall (14-meter) ship is at a depth of 62 feet (19 metres), so the top deck is close to the Caribbean Sea's surface, making it easily accessible for snorkelers and divers. The ship, which assisted US submarine operations around the globe for decades, was anchored in recent years among the rusting vessels of the James River Reserve Fleet, commonly known as the "Ghost Fleet," in Fort Eustis, Virginia. It was towed to the Cayman Islands last month. Besides being a lure for tourists, the Kittiwake will be an artificial reef that can shelter fish and crustaceans in waters known for excellent visibility and abundant sea life. The Kittiwake joins the MV Captain Keith Tibbetts, a Russian frigate sunk off the coast of Cayman Brac in 1996 that is now covered in a thick coating of sponges and corals.
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[ZX2ManDave]

Wait! I left my I-phone on there!

[solemdreamer]

In Soviet Russia, SHIP SCUTTLES YOU!

[shadowhunter388]

@DRILLZfc Whoa! Is that a glitch or something YouTube actually put in?

[MrBdowning]

D@mn, my father served onboard Kittiwake back in the early 1950's. I don't think that I'll show him this video, it would probably break his heart.

[Redhammer627]

What a waste, I would have payed for that ship to have as my own personal ship, God knows the US needs the money.

[Thecomedyjudge]

snake? SNAKE? SNAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA­AAAAAAAAKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[kupper123]

@hamroun12 Washington thinks Latin America can't govern its self

[ouellette666]

@benboy19 i know the titanic was not purposely sunk does that change the fact that life has started to form on it? does that change the fact that you have not contributed anything of substance to the conversation? you must just be one of those guys who needs the last word to feel like they accomplished something, so go ahead and take it your a waste of my time.

[benboy19]

@ouellette666 The Titanic wasn't purposely sunk.

[ouellette666]

@benboy19 i didn't say a reef has formed but the ships hull is coated in limestone which is preserving the structure of the ship, limestone is the foundation of a reef, plant life and filter feeders are forming on the limestone in less then 100 years. that is the beginning of a reef, one that most likely will not become a full reef because of its depth but none the less it is a great example of why an old ship is often sunk rather then scrapped.