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Vandenberg in the news; current stories from web and print
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The Vandenberg story continues to generate news around the world. Watch this page for stories about the project and the cleaning and preparation of the ship before it begins its final trip to Key West.
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|
1996 |
THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
MAKEOVER MAY TURN LOCAL SHIP INTO A MOVIE STAR IN THE FILM, THE GLAMORIZED SHIP WILL HELP FIGHT AN ALIEN COMPUTER VIRUS.
Lights! Cameras! . . . Colonna's?
Norfolk's Colonna's Shipyard Inc. went Hollywood on Wednesday.
The missile range instrumentation ship Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenberg arrived for a makeover that will turn the aging rustbucket into a movie star.
To Read More....
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| April 28, 2000 |
April 28, 2000
SHIP MAY FORM REEF
JENNIFER BABSON, jbabson@herald.com
City commissioners are expected to give the green light Tuesday to a project that would create a mammoth new artificial reef 6 1/2 miles south of Key West.
At its regular meeting, the panel will decide whether the city should apply for environmental permits to sink the decommissioned 1944 warship Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenberg in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.
To Read More...
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| March 1, 2000 |
March 1, 2000
FUNDING SOUGHT TO SINK SHIP FOR REEF
LISA FUSS, lfuss@herald.com
A nonprofit group is looking for support - and the money - to sink what would be the largest ship used to create an artificial reef in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.
Artificial Reefs of the Keys president Joe Weatherby conducted a press conference Tuesday in Key West, hoping to draw public support and financial backing for the project,
To Read More...
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| March 28, 2000 |
Vandenberg News Clip
Tuesday, March 28, 2000
Publication: Daily Citizen
13 tons under the sea?
By MANDY BOLEN
Citizen Staff Writer
Divers and snorkelers could soon be taking a giant stride into the waters above the world's largest artificial reef, which would be just six miles from Duval Street.
Joe Weatherby has been trying to "Sink the Vandenberg" - as his bumper stickers encourage - for five years.
To Read More...
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| June 6, 2001 |
June 6, 2001
PLANS UNDER SAIL FOR SHIP TO BECOME ARTIFICIAL REEF
LISA FUSS, lfuss@herald.com
After seven years and numerous bureaucratic obstacles, the decommissioned 510-foot warship Spiegel Grove is now just months away from an ocean burial off Key Largo, where it will become the largest vessel ever scuttled to serve as an artificial reef.
Government officials have approved a transfer of title, passing ownership of the former landing-craft carrier from the federal Maritime Administration to the state of Florida.
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August 4, 2002
ANOTHER SPIEGEL GROVE? KEY WEST EYES OWN SHIP REEF
SUSAN COCKING / Herald staff/scocking@herald.com
Despite the mishaps with the recent sinking of the Spiegel Grove off Key Largo, a Key West group is proceeding with plans to deploy an even larger Navy ship 61/2 miles off the island city. Artificial Reefs of the Keys, a nonprofit group headed by Joe Weatherby, proposes to sink the 520-foot warship Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenberg in 140 feet of water near a marker known as ``Toppino Buoy.''
To Read More...
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| April 20, 2004 |
Cheaper to sink Navy ships than scrap them
The Navy is offering 25 decommissioned ships, including four aircraft carriers, to coastal states interested in turning them into artificial reefs.
One of the carriers is the Oriskany, a combat veteran of Korea and Vietnam, which could be sunk as early as this summer in the Gulf of Mexico. Plans call for it to come to rest in 211 feet of water, 22 miles offshore from Pensacola, Fla. The 888-foot, 30,800- ton carrier would be the largest vessel ever purposely sunk in the United States.
To Read More
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| 2005 |
Ship Used In Movie Will Return To Reserve Fleet in James River
(AP) - A ship in the James River Reserve Fleet featured in a 1999 action movie has been towed to Norfolk for de-fueling.
The Daily Press reports that Moran Environmental in Norfolk will remove 1200 tons of fuel from The General Hoyt S. Vandenberg, used during its 61-year lifetime as a troop ship by the Navy and Army and as a missile and satellite tracking ship by the Air Force.
To Read More...
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| March 31, 2005 |
James River Ghost Fleet Could Be Reefs
(Newport News, Va.) - Some of the 68 fuel-laden ships that make up the "Ghost Fleet" in the James River are being considered for a second life elsewhere as reefs that would attract divers and fish.
"Somebody very smart came up with this idea that since Congress has all these ships, some of them would be better to make into reefs instead of scrap," said Tim Mullane, shipyard project manager at Bay Bridge Enterprises in Chesapeake.
To Read More...
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| April 3, 2005 |
Careful, precise proposition for reef plan in Florida Keys
KEY WEST, Fla. (AP) — It sounds like a simple proposition: Bring a new artificial reef to one of the nation's top diving and tourism destinations.
But legally sinking a 520-foot military ship in one most sensitive ecosystems in the country takes years of planning, millions of dollars and precision.
Just ask Artificial Reefs of the Keys, the group...
To Read More...
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April 4, 2005 |
Details key in creating artificial reef
After 10 years of planning, project organizers are ready to see their ship sink.
KEY WEST - It sounds like a simple proposition: Bring a new artificial reef to one of the nation's top diving and tourism destinations.
To Read More...
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| May 10, 2006 |
Vessel update tonight
The dream of creating an artificial reef off Key West is closer to realization than ever, however, obstacles such as funding its nearly $6 million price tag still pose problems.
To Read More...
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| September 15, 2006 |
County sinks money into ship
Administrator says $2 million worth the cost
Monroe County Administrator Tom Willi once admonished the County Commission for relying too heavily on revenue from the county's infrastructure tax.
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September 19, 2006
SINK OR SUNK? PLANNERS HOPE SHIP REEF ISN'T DEAD IN WATER
CAMMY CLARK, cclark@MiamiHerald.com
In 1996, dive boat captain Joe Weatherby started combing through files of 500 mothballed military ships looking for the perfect one to sink and turn into the Keys' largest artificial reef.
He chose the 1943 naval warship USS Hoyt S. Vandenberg, because its decontamination would be manageable and its irregular shape would be exciting for divers.
To Read More...
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| November 8, 2006 |
Auction for naming rights to artificial reef starts
11/08/2006
Associated Press
An online auction began Wednesday for naming rights to an artificial reef project organizers hope to establish off the Florida Keys.
To Read More...
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| November 8, 2006 |
Week-long auction for naming rights to artificial reef starts
The Associated PressA weeklong online auction started Wednesday for naming rights to an artificial reef project organizers hope to establish off the Florida Keys.
To Read More...
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| November 8, 2006 |
Week-long auction for naming rights to artificial reef starts
The Associated Press
KEY WEST, Fla. - A weeklong online auction started Wednesday for naming rights to an artificial reef project organizers hope to establish off the Florida Keys.
The artificial reef is to be created by sinking the retired 524-foot U.S. Air Force missile-tracking ship General Hoyt S. Vandenberg, which monitored NASA space launches from 1963 to 1983.
To Read More...
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| November 8, 2006 |
Weeklong Auction For Naming Rights To Artificial Reef StartsKEY WEST, Fla. -- A weeklong online auction started Wednesday for naming rights to an artificial reef project organizers hope to establish off the Florida Keys.
To Read More...
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| November 8, 2006 |
Week-long auction for naming rights to artificial reef starts
The Associated Press
Last Updated:November 08. 2006 3:53PM
Published: November 08. 2006 3:53PM
KEY WEST, Fla.A weeklong online auction started Wednesday for naming rights to an artificial reef project organizers hope to establish off the Florida Keys.
To Read More...
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| November 9, 2006 |
Win online auction and name a reef
Associated Press
Nov. 9, 2006 06:30 AM
KEY WEST, Fla. - Call it an opportunity for some below-sea-level recognition.
To Read More...
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| November 9, 2006 |
Naming Rights To Florida Reef Up For Auction
KEY WEST, Fla. -- Call it an opportunity for some below-sea-level recognition.
To Read More...
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Naming rights for reef up for auction
POSTED: 8:30 a.m. EST, November 9, 2006POSTED: 8:30 a.m. EST, November 9, 2006
Adjust font size:
KEY WEST, Florida (AP) -- An online auction is taking place for the right to name an artificial reef project....
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| November 9, 2006 |
Name That Reef... for a Price
Thursday, November 09, 2006 | 11:33 AM
KEY WEST, Fla. (AP) - November 9, 2006 -- Call it an opportunity for some below-sea-level recognition.
An online auction began Wednesday for naming rights to an artificial reef project organizers hope to establish off the Florida Keys.
To Read More...
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| November 9, 2006 |
Auction for naming rights to artificial reef starts in Florida
KEY WEST, Florida: An online auction is taking place for the right to name an artificial reef project organizers hope to establish off the Florida Keys.
To Read More...
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November 9, 2006 |
Name That Reef... for a Price
Call it an opportunity for some below-sea-level recognition.
An online auction began Wednesday for naming rights to an artificial reef project organizers hope to establish off the Florida Keys.
The reef is to be created by sinking the retired 524-foot U.S. Air Force missile-tracking ship General Hoyt S. Vandenberg, which monitored NASA space launches from 1963 to 1983.
To Read More...
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November 9, 2006 |
Published: Thursday, November 9, 2006
For Sale: a Name to Sleep With Fishes
The Associated Press
KEY WEST - A weeklong online auction started Wednesday for naming rights to an artificial reef project organizers hope to establish off the Florida Keys.
To Read More...
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| November 10, 2006 |
Got $900,000? You can bid on naming reef
November 10, 2006
KEY WEST, Fla. -- Call it an opportunity for some below-sea-level recognition.
An online auction began Wednesday for naming rights...
To Read More...
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| November 10, 2006 |
Auction offers chance to name Florida reef
An online auction will be held for the right to name an artificial reef project to be established off Florida Keys.
Bidding on the auction site eBay.com begins at $900,000 (£472,000), with a reserve price of $1.3m, according to Joe Weatherby, a project organiser for Artificial Reefs of the Keys.
To Read More...
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Sink or sunk? Planners hope ship reef isn't dead in water
Organizers of a project to sink a ship and turn it into a reef face a deadline to raise funds.
KEY WEST - In 1996, dive boat captain Joe Weatherby started combing through files of 500 mothballed military ships looking for the perfect one to sink and turn into the Keys' largest artificial reef.
To Read More...
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Some seamen in Brevard County want to sink a historic ship once based in Port Canaveral.
The Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenberg once brought home World War II soldiers from France but now is destined from the bottom of the ocean to become a playground for divers.
There is Mack Monroe, veteran shipman from Patrick Air Force Base who first fought to keep the USS Vandenberg afloat but now is fighting to sink it.
To Read more...
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Key West, Florida (Nov 21, 2006 16:29 EST)
None of three bids posted on an eBay auction for naming rights to a proposed artificial reef project off Key West are valid, but the project will move ahead, organizers said Tuesday.
The bids ranged from $900,000 to $900,200.
"We checked the credibility of bids," said Joe Weatherby, a project organizer with Artificial Reefs However, Weatherby says he has the $5.7 million in fiscal commitments needed to cleanse, tow and sink the retired U.S. Air Force missile-tracking ship General Hoyt S. Vandenberg. Those pledges include $3 million from two Monroe County government entities and $1.3 million from the City of Key West.
Weatherby said he is still shopping for a major naming sponsor to avoid using the city's financial resources and has been in discussions with an individual that contacted him independent of the auction.
Since 1984, the 524-foot vessel, that also monitored NASA space launches, has been a part of the "ghost fleet," resting amid other decommissioned vessels at the James River Naval Reserve Fleet in Fort Eustis, Va.
The proposed artificial reef is expected to attract marine life, provide an ongoing impact to the tourism-based economy and benefit the underwater environment by taking recreational diving pressure off natural coral reefs.
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'Ghost Fleet' ship's final resting place to be Key West
NORFOLK, Va. - A World War II troop carrier that saw duty in the Cold War and had a role in a movie is destined to become the largest artificial reef in Florida.
To Read More...
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World War II ship to become largest artificial reef in Florida
The Associated Press
Published: February 14, 2007
NORFOLK, Virginia: A World War II troop carrier that saw duty in the Cold War and had a role in a movie is destined to become the largest artificial reef in Florida.
The 533-feet (162-meter) Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenberg, among the hulks in the ever-thinning James River Reserve Fleet, will be towed to waters off Florida's Key West, probably in one year....
To Read More....
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Ghost Fleet Ship to Become Artificial Reef
It has been a troop carrier, a missile-tracking ship, and a starred in a Hollywood movie. Now the General Hoyt S. Vandenberg will become an artificial reef off Key West, Fla. Maritime Administrator Sean T. Connaughton approved the transfer of the Vandenberg to the state of Florida, which plans to turn the 63-year old vessel into an artificial reef later this year.
To Read More...
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World War II ship to become largest artificial reef
A World War II troop carrier that saw duty in the Cold War and had a role in a movie is destined to become the largest artificial reef in Florida.
The 162-meter General Hoyt S. Vandenberg, among the hulks...
To Read More....
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DEMA Pro Florida Artifical Reef Law
- The Diving Equipment and Marketing Association (DEMA) is pleased to announce that the “Ships 2 Reefs” bills before the Florida House of Representatives (House Bill 759) and the Florida Senate (Senate Bill 1856) have been sent to the next levels within the Florida legislature for consideration.
To Read More...
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'Russian' ship to leave ghost fleet
NEWPORT NEWS -- The Vandenberg, which was built in 1943 as the troop ship General Harry S. Taylor, is scheduled to be towed away from the James River Reserve Fleet Friday morning.
It will be the 56th ship to be removed from the fleet of idle ships parked in the James River off Fort Eustis.
To Read More...
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Ghost Fleet ship to become artificial reef
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (AP) -- A troop ship built in 1943 was towed from the James River Reserve Fleet Friday morning.
The Vandenberg is the 56th ship to be removed from the idle fleet floating in the James River off Fort Eustis.
To Read More...
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World War II Warship to Become Florida's Largest Artificial Reef
NORFOLK, Va. (AP) - A World War II troop carrier that saw duty in the Cold War and had a role in a movie is destined to become the largest artificial reef in Florida.
To Read More...
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| April 8, 2007 |
2007-04-08
PROJECT TO SINK MILITARY SHIP BEGINS
ANDY NEWMAN Special to The Miami Herald
NORFOLK, Va. -- After 10 years of fund-raising and getting permits, a project has begun to sink a retired military ship off Key West to serve as an artificial reef. Last Friday, the decommissioned U.S. Air Force missile-tracking ship Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenberg, a 523-foot ship that also monitored NASA space launches from 1963-83, was towed from the James River Naval Reserve Fleet in Fort Eustis, Va., to Colonna's Shipyard in Norfolk, Va.
To Read More...
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Aquanews
As the tax season ground to another end for me, after 45 years of tax work, I was delighted to attend a presentation, on Thursday, April 17,at the Florida keys Eco-Discovery Center at the Truman Waterfront. The subject was informative stating that the USS Vandenberg is poised to become the second largest ship ever intentionally scuttled as an artificial reef.
To Read More...
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Davis Statement on 56th Ship to be Removed From James River
Vandenberg is scheduled to leave the James River today
(Washington, D.C) – Congresswoman Jo Ann Davis today made the following statement:
“I am pleased that today another ship, the Vandenberg, is being removed from the "Ghost Fleet" in the James River.
To Read More...
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White House Environmental Leader Set to Examine Ship-to-Artificial Reef Project in Norfolk Monday
WHAT: James L. Connaughton, chairman, White House Council on Environmental Quality, is scheduled to join other federal and state of Florida officials to examine a decommissioned U.S. Air Force missile tracking ship being cleansed and prepared to be intentionally sunk as an artificial reef off Key West, in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.
To Read More...
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Ship From Ghost Fleet Headed to Florida Keys As Reef
NORFOLK
Before Monday morning, the last time Sam Hall saw the big warship was 62 years ago in New York Harbor, at the end of World War II.
Back then, Hall was a young soldier returning from the Pacific. When he walked off the former Gen. Harry S. Taylor to cheering throngs that day, he never looked back.
But Monday....
To Read More...
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Historic Ship To Be Sunk Off Key West
The General Hoyt S. Vandenberg Will Be Sunk In May, 2008
The Ship Was Featured In The 2000 Film "Virus"
KEY WEST (CBS4) — An historic ship will become a part of Key West – forever.
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Retired missile tracking ship to be sunk
Officials overseeing the transformation of a retired U.S. Air Force missile tracking ship into an artificial reef off Key West said Saturday they are planning to sink the ship May 15.
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Air Force Ship To Be Sunk Off Key West This May
KEY WEST (CBS4) — Scuba divers and Key West hotel operators are circling May 15th on their calendars.
That's the day a retired U.S. Air Force missile tracking ship will be sunk to form Key West's newest artificial reef.
To Read More...
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Missile-tracking ship to be sunk in May
The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Jan 29, 2008 8:13:49 EST
KEY WEST, Fla. — Officials overseeing the transformation of a retired Air Force missile-tracking ship into an artificial reef off Key West said Saturday they are planning to sink the ship May 15.
The Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenberg is currently at a Norfolk, Va., shipyard, where workers are preparing it for sinking by removing environmental hazards. Plans are to scuttle the ship in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.
Officials with Reefmakers, the organization overseeing the project, are planning to tow the 522-foot-long vessel to Key West in March for final preparations.
Supporters said the Vandenberg project will provide additional marine habitat and a new attraction for recreational divers.
Before it was decommissioned in 1983, the Vandenberg also tracked manned U.S. space missions, beginning with Mercury flights in the early 1960s. The ship played a role as a Russian science ship in “Virus,” a 1999 movie starring Jamie Lee Curtis. |
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