Sinking a boat is an elaborate undertaking, according to Jordan Byrum, the Enhancement Project Manager for the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries. The agency runs an artificial reef program, which turns retired boats, recycled concrete pipe, and chunks of decommissioned bridges into habitat features for wildlife and divers.
“North Carolina has managed an artificial reef program since the 1970s,” he told WHQR. “Prior to that, it was a little bit of the wild west, with people dropping refrigerators and cars and Lord knows what.” The state formalized the program and started sinking derelict World War II vessels up and down the coast.
In just a few months, the Cape Hatteras, a 135-foot boat that served as a ‘floating classroom’ for students at Cape Fear Community College, will join other retired vessels in about 80 feet of water, 18 miles off of Wrightsville Beach.
First, the boat will undergo a deep cleaning. Anything that could contaminate the water or float away will be removed. Byrum described the process.
“As far as sinking goes, a lot of access holes get cut anyway,” he elaborated. “They also help vent air whenever the vessel gets sunk. So they'll probably install a valve or a series of valves in the bottom of the vessel, and so when we get on site and it gets anchored in the correct spot, one of the contractors will go and open those valves. The access holes, which were cut to remove the engine and other components, will allow water to rush in and sink the boat.
There’s no exact date for the sinking yet. Byrum says divers and researchers visiting the site can expect to see gag grouper, black sea bass, amberjacks, sharks, and American red snapper.
As for CFCC's marine technology program, it's getting a new 86-foot catamaran, currently under construction and expected to arrive this winter, according to CFCC.
