Divers Revisit Navy Ship Sunk to Make Artificial Reef in Florida Keys 20 Years Ago

Divers Revisit Navy Ship Sunk to Make Artificial Reef in Florida Keys 20 Years Ago
Frazier Nivens/Florida Keys News Bureau via AP
The Associated Press
Updated:

The 20th anniversary of the storied intentional sinking of a former naval ship to become an artificial reef in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary was celebrated May 17 in Key Largo.

The 510-foot-long Spiegel Grove captured international interest when it sank prematurely May 17, 2002, and landed with its upside-down bow protruding above the ocean’s surface about 6 miles off Key Largo. A massive remediation effort began, resulting in the former landing ship dock being fully sunk on its starboard side June 10, 2002.

Three years later, strong currents and waves generated from Hurricane Dennis when it was east of Cuba pushed the ship into the intended upright position on the ocean bottom about 130 feet below the surface.

“Ultimately, the Spiegel Grove is a story that Hollywood would never have been able to script in a million years,” said Rob Bleser, a Key Largo dive operator and the vessel’s sinking project manager.

Lisa Mongelia swims between gun turrets of the retired naval landing ship dock Spiegel Grove. (Frazier Nivens/Florida Keys News Bureau via AP)
Lisa Mongelia swims between gun turrets of the retired naval landing ship dock Spiegel Grove. Frazier Nivens/Florida Keys News Bureau via AP
In this photo provided by the Florida Keys News Bureau, fish swim among coral that has grown on Spiegel Grove. (Frazier Nivens/Florida Keys News Bureau via AP)
In this photo provided by the Florida Keys News Bureau, fish swim among coral that has grown on Spiegel Grove. Frazier Nivens/Florida Keys News Bureau via AP
Karen Berrios (R) watches Jon Hazelbaker install a commemorative plaque on the Spiegel Grove, a decommissioned 510-foot-long naval landing ship dock that was sunk in 2002. Installation of the plaque was one of several activities that were staged to mark the 20th anniversary of the sinking. (Frazier Nivens/Florida Keys News Bureau via AP)
Karen Berrios (R) watches Jon Hazelbaker install a commemorative plaque on the Spiegel Grove, a decommissioned 510-foot-long naval landing ship dock that was sunk in 2002. Installation of the plaque was one of several activities that were staged to mark the 20th anniversary of the sinking. Frazier Nivens/Florida Keys News Bureau via AP
On May 15, divers swam near the bow of the retired naval landing ship dock Spiegel Grove, sunk 20 years earlier, 6 miles off Key Largo, Florida, to become an artificial reef. (Frazier Nivens/Florida Keys News Bureau via AP)
On May 15, divers swam near the bow of the retired naval landing ship dock Spiegel Grove, sunk 20 years earlier, 6 miles off Key Largo, Florida, to become an artificial reef. Frazier Nivens/Florida Keys News Bureau via AP
In this photo provided by the Florida Keys News Bureau, the sun sets over the upside-down hull of the Spiegel Grove. (Andy Newman/Florida Keys News Bureau via AP)
In this photo provided by the Florida Keys News Bureau, the sun sets over the upside-down hull of the Spiegel Grove. Andy Newman/Florida Keys News Bureau via AP

Bleser and other key individuals gathered on the evening of May 17 at a local cultural center for a reception and panel discussion on the fascinating events surrounding the ship.

On May 15, divers affixed a commemorative plaque to the Spiegel Grove, sponsored by a group of Navy veterans who had served on it, that recognized the multimillion-dollar project’s supporters as well as military personnel who were stationed on the ship commissioned in 1956.

South Carolina resident Karen Berrios trained specifically as an advanced diver to experience the former military vessel on which both her late father, William Py, and uncle, Joseph Py, served during the 1980s Cold War era. She helped install the plaque that bears her family members’ names.

“So, when I went down, I was just trying to imagine myself kinda in my dad’s footsteps looking around,“ Berrios said. ”Did he step here at one point of time, just like I am right today?”

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