Former Navy Destroyer Sunk as an Artificial Reef in the Atlantic

A former Navy destroyer, USS Arthur W. Radford, has been sunk as an artificial reef off the U.S.’s Eastern Coast in the Atlantic Ocean. The 563-foot vessel will be the longest one to ever serve this purpose.

The ship’s final resting spot is the Del-Jersey-Land reef created by Delaware, Maryland and New Jersey. USS Arthur W. Radford was retired in 2003 after 26 years of Navy use.

PHOTO CAPTION: USS Arthur W. Radford in the Mediterranean Sea in 2002

More than 200 people, including sailors who served on the ship and journalists, were chartered a ferry to watch the sinking itself. It will now join many other manmade items in that specific part of the Atlantic that are used to create habitats for sea life and new opportunities for deep-sea anglers and scuba divers, including retired NYC subway cars.