If you haven’t heard yet, the MV Twin Capes is scheduled to be sunk at the Del-Jersey-Land Artificial Reef off the Delaware coast by May 31st. As of right now she is in final EPA inspection and will be sunk next week. In order to sink a ship of any kind it must be stripped of anything that is harmful to the environment. Everything and anything from wiring to insulation, and obviously any chemicals or fluids. After doing this ships look nothing like they originally did. Plush bar areas, galleys, engine rooms and even the pilot house are stripped to the bare bones.
Now the MV Twin Capes looks like she will when she sits on the bottom and we rarely get to see that view. Divers are usually the only ones that see her after she is stripped as well as the crew of Coleen Marine who do the work to drop her to the bottom.
The MV Twin Capes is just about ready to be dropped. She is in final EPA inspection and is scheduled to be sunk sometime next week, if all goes to plan. She will be towed from Norfolk Virginia to her final resting place, the Del-Jersey-Land Artificial Reef. It will take a few days to get her there by tug and they need calm seas, especially for the sinking.
Recent press release … DNREC Secretary Shawn M. Garvin said the Twin Capes would be reefed on the Del-Jersey-Land offshore reef site so that numerous fish species “can take advantage of the rich and spacious habitat it will provide. The Twin Capes is the one of the finest reefing candidates DNREC has ever seen, and as an artificial reef, it will be unparalleled as fish habitat and a spectacular dive for exploration. Adding the Twin Capes to Delaware’s artificial reef system is another investment in Delaware’s conservation economy by DNREC that also brings a trove of environmental benefits.”
I know a lot of people want to go out there and see this happen. If you do go out on your boat, be very careful, and stay out of the way. I am sure the coast guard will be there setting a perimeter for spectators. I can say it will take a while for the ship to be filled with water and dropped. We arrived at the Tamaroa at dawn, but she was dropped by early afternoon as predicted. Tim Mullane and his crew from Coleen Marine always hit their schedules.
Fish On!
Rich King
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