Freighter's hull to become reef

[fishinchick]

Freighter's hull to become reef



By Libby Wells, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, October 23, 2002



A derelict freighter called The Lady Laura is about to become the first vessel to be sunk as an artificial reef off Martin County in 14 years.

The Martin County Anglers Club raised $17,500 to buy the 168-foot steel craft from the U.S. Coast Guard in Miami and donated it to the county on Tuesday.

The freighter will be submerged about 190 feet at the Sirotkin reef, which is east of the St. Lucie Inlet, about 9 miles offshore. The sinking is at least three weeks away because the boat has to be cleaned and prepped for its new purpose.

"It has to be free of oil and grease," said Mark Perry, executive director of the Florida Oceanographic Society. "The Coast Guard, Environmental Protection Agency and others inspect it to make sure it's clean."

Perry said Florida Oceanographic's divers will determine the best spot for the new reef and mark it so that the ship is submerged in the right spot. After it's sunk, the divers will return to verify and secure the site and bring back the coordinates, which are popular with fishermen.

"All of the anglers will want those," Perry said.

John Burke, president of the Martin County Anglers Club, said the project has been a community effort. Merchants and boat captains donated items for a March auction that raised $4,000. Anglers Club member Karl Wickstrom, founder and editor in chief of Stuart-based Florida Sportsman magazine, contributed $13,500. The county will sink the vessel.

"This will be the finale of a lot of hard work and effort," said Burke. "It's pretty exciting. And we intend to put more out there."

The last vessel to become an artificial reef off the Martin County shoreline was the 486-foot USS Rankin, which was submerged in 1988 at the Sirotkin reef.