U.S. ship 'Kittiwake' to become Cayman Islands reef

The Cayman Islands announced plans to create an underwater attraction for scuba divers and snorkelers from a decommissioned U.S. Navy ship.

Ownership of the USS Kittiwake, a 2,290-ton submarine rescue ship, will be transferred from the U.S. Maritime Administration to the Cayman Islands government this fall.

Toxic materials must first be removed from the vessel, built in 1945, before the ship is sunk next year in the Caribbean Sea as an artificial reef. It has been anchored for years among rusting hulks of the James River Reserve Fleet, commonly known as the "Ghost Fleet," in Fort Eustis, Va.

The 251-foot Kittiwake should attract large schools of fish to deserted cabins and halls, according to Charles Clifford, the islands' minister of tourism...[Tampa Bay.com]