JHD sent this link along, pics of the sinking of the ex-USS Oriskany:
The Oriskany is now immortal! Thought you’d like these pics.
BTW, within 12 hours fish will begin setting up shop. Within one week the entire carrier will be habitat for thousands. Within a month she will be on every skipper’s honey hole list!
Gone But Not Forgotten!
She’ll be on every fishing boat’s GPS forever!
Kind of a shame, really. Used to tell the JO’s about my first couple cruises on Oriskany. Or maybe it was the Bonny Dick? Could’ve been the Shangri-la, even.
They were never quite sure…
Update: Well, courtesy of Murdoc – here’s what she looks like now: Pretty cool. I dove a wreck in the PI, back in the day, and Thailand too. And somehow, when passing through the Phillipine Sea, I could almost feel the souls of all those murdered warships crying out from the murky bottom.
Never dove there, though.
Not to pick at the “age”-scab, but are you sure it wasn’t the Langley?
http://instapinch.com/blog/images/lang3.jpg
Age before beauty, Captain!
I was in P-cola the weekend before she was sunk. She was pierside at the pier I remember the Lexington being at. She looked rusted, sad, and grey. But still big and mighty and the thougt of this ending for this once mighty ship was indeed sad. The pier was closed to cars and they would not let you walk up to the ship either.
The next week when we came back, of course, she was gone.
Sad. Since I’m not a diver, or a salt water fisherman, I fail to see how she will be a tourist attraction, although she must be or they would not have spent the money to bring her there.
BTW, the Naval Aviation museum was awesome. Everyone should go if they get to P-Cola.
Skip: I’m not a diver or fisherman either, but I have snorkeled over small boats that have sunk (or been sunk) in relatively shallow water (approx. 20-30 feet deep). It really is amazing to see how nature restakes her claim; something about the circle of life makes it incredible to witness. I like the continuity and balance – in life the ship gave a safe haven to our soldiers, so that they could protect the beauty in our way of life. In death, she’ll continue to give safe haven to beautiful things and create a natural resource for us to continue to see her beauty.
Better than razorblades.
Johnboy, beats the hell out of Toyotas;) When the raw met gets sliced thin on the Kennedy, though, I know a bunch of yardbirds who would pay good money to see a SINKEX. The only damn thing that carrier was good for to us yardbirds, was lots of overtime. After working on ships like the FDR, the Shi!!y Shang, the Sara, Forrestal, and the Big Stick, the Kennedy was a huge let down. I personally think all our carriers should be used for a SINKEX…they should go down fighting hard, like the battling ladies they are.
Very nice pictures. It’s very cool that they were able to get her to end up right side up, apparently with very little heel.
For all those who care, I am a diver, and I am getting certified in wreck and deep diving just so that I can dive the Mighty O. Fish love the ships, and in a few years she’ll be covered in coral.
The principal attraction will be the island (currently at 75 feet), as 130 feet is the limit for recreational diving. The deck is at 135, but the island has lots of nooks and crannies for the fish to set up shop in.
Regarding the tourism angle, divers love wrecks for a number of reasons: the history behind the ship, who walked it’s decks, etc. The types of divers who will flock to Pcola to dive her will have money to spend. They’ll be able to dive the other sites that are in the area, as well as tour the city and see the sites. Fishermen will also come to an area that they may have avoided.
All in all, a good catch for the state of Florida and the city of Pensacola. I also think this is a better alternative than the others mentioned above.
Well, RPL, if it’s Pensacola you’re going to, I can turn you on to any number of dives.
Best part? None of ‘em need scuba gear!
I’ll keep it in mind for when I go; right now, I think I’ll wait until after hurricane season.
Would TJ’s be on the list of dive sites? I’ve heard so much about it. How would it compare to McP’s? When I’m ready to go, I’ll e-mail you for some suggestions.
Man! it’ll take wire and bandit reels to haul a 100# Warsaw out of that big boy!
Great dive shots!
I’d like to see a SINXEX on the Kennedy myself. America’s, I’m told, was done under such wraps that the pictures are not available to the general public. Let the shoes get some NGFS first, then pummel it with JDAM and other bombs. For the coup de grace, an torpedo (or 2) from a submarine……………
Now that’s entertainment!
Those pics are very beautiful and very sad. I don’t like seeing a carrier go down, no matter what the purpose. Especially one of her generation.
Looks like she went down with dignity. I like to think she was saying, “Well! If you’re going to set off nasty things in my spaces, I’ll just slide down here where it’s nice and quiet.”