The "Lady Philomena" and the tug "Everglades" will have one final voyage over the next week, a trip nine miles east of Daytona Beach where they willll be sunk as artificial reefs. But before they become the newest additions to Volusia County’s growing artificial reef network, the ships will be open for public tours on Nov 12 and 13, 2017. Divers anxious to see what sort of adventure awaits, fishermen angling for a little closer look, and curious onlookers who won’t ever make the trip 80 feet down are expected to visit the county’s two-day “Beneath the surface” celebration. Visitors will be able to stroll the decks of both ships, peering into the former engine rooms and cabins, between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. on both days at Down the Hatch Restaurant and Marina, 4877 Front St., Ponce Inlet. The ships have been thoroughly cleaned, stripped of all their electrical wiring, fuel tanks and oily residues during weeks of work at McCulley Marine in Fort Pierce. Final touches will be completed over the next few days, including the cutting of holes in the hull so the ships can be quickly flooded for their trip to the bottom of the sea. The Volusia County Reef Research Dive Team, Coastal Conservation Association Florida, and U.S. Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection Service are among the groups that plan special exhibits for adults and children alike during the two-day open house. The Customs Service donated the "Lady Philomena" to the county after confiscating the ship in a Miami drug bust. The sinking of the "Lady Philomena" and the "Everglades" is expected to take place next week, when the weather is clear and ocean conditions are calm. The ships will join another dozen steel ships and barges that are part of the county’s reef system creating a ecosystem on the bottom of the ocean, attracting thousands of fish The reef program began in 1980, with the sinking of the USS "Mindanao". Today the county has 148 reef structures on more than a dozen state and federally permitted sites offshore.
ACCIDENTS
10 November 2017 - 16:00
Update: 10 November 2017 - 19:14
Open ship on future sunken ship
Open ship on future sunken ship
ACCIDENTS
10 November 2017 - 16:00
Update: 10 November 2017 - 19:14
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