Ship sunk to be artificial reef tips onto its side
SS Excambion
SOUTH PADRE ISLAND -- A World War II-era ship purposely sunk in the Gulf of Mexico to create an artificial reef has tipped onto its side, blocking access to the interior for fish and divers.
The Texas Clipper was sunk Nov. 17, after rough waters delayed the event for several days. The sinking capped years of problems, including an unplanned sinking near Beaumont and a $600,000 cleanup of hazardous chemicals.
State officials hoped the Clipper would become a destination for divers and boost local tourism by an estimated $30 million a year. It was meant to stand upright so divers and fish could explore the 80-foot-high, 473-foot-long ship by swimming through decks and cabins.
Why the ship tipped over is unclear, said Aaron Reed, spokesman for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. He said the state might ask the company that prepared the ship for sinking to right it. The state has spent about $4 million on the sinking.
Tim O'Leary, owner of a dive shop on the coast, had expected the wreck to keep his business busy into December. But with the ship on its side, it's more suited for skilled cave divers than for novices, O'Leary said.
The ship was decommissioned in the mid-1990s after almost 30 years as a classroom at sea for about 200 Texas A&M-Galveston students each summer.
As the SS Excambion, it carried cargo and passengers between New York City and the Mediterranean from after World War II until 1958. Before that, as the USS Queens, it was among the Navy troop transports at the Battle of Iwo Jima. The ship was decommissioned in 1946.