6/13 UPDATE~~~New Artifical Reef!!!

[Hawkboat]

Sorry.... it's for my neighborhood!

This should be great, not only fishing but diving also and tourist dollars

Also heard rumors of the Navy getting one ready also later this year.

Lee County’s newest artificial reef is scheduled to be towed past Bowditch Point at 11 a.m. today on its way to the Kelly Brothers Marine Contractors dock on San Carlos Island.

Miami-Dade Historic Maritime Museum Inc. has donated the 165-foot Coast Guard cutter USS Mohawk, which saw action during World War II, to Lee County to be scuttled about 20 miles offshore as an artificial reef after it is cleaned and prepared.


Kelly Brothers towed the vessel from Key West on Tuesday, and it sat in the nearshore Gulf of Mexico off Fort Myers Beach until the tide rises high enough for safe navigation.

[Big E]

Bill-

Enjoy the fishing/diving and in a year or 2!

Nice to see these things get done!

God forbid we should get something like this in NY waters.

Maybe you can take me on this reef when I get down there...

[Hawkboat]

Hey big guy,

Year or two ...Goliaths will be on that in 2 months.

Honestly Florida has it hands down over any state. They just did that old air craft carrier last year up around the Panhandle, Pensecola I think in about 125 feet of water. The dive industry up there will go nuts, boats, shops, repair as the main vein...and trickle down from there to hotels, vaction home rentals, resturants, etc. Not even mentioning fishing. But that also gets pretty chilly up there also sometimes, not like NY but florida Standards.

As I mentioned earlier, I believe it's old battle ship that is being preped now for down by also but that will be like 40-50 offshore..in a bout 100-125 feet also.

I have to get a date and might even take a ride out when it's going to scuttled..that would be something to see..plus get the numbers.

[Hawkboat]

Here is a link from when they towed it in today.


http://www.winknews.com/Local-Florida/2 ... nal-voyage

[Hawkboat]

Little History on the Mohawk:

Like a scene from a black-and-white World War II documentary, the camouflaged former U.S. Coast Guard cutter Mohawk moved slowly through the gray water of Matanzas Pass under Wednesday’s drizzling gray skies.

In fact, the 165-foot Mohawk, which will be sunk this summer off Lee County as an artificial reef, fought in the Battle of the Atlantic and was an important participant in the Normandy invasion.

“Doesn’t she look cool with that camo?” said Mike Campbell, head of the county’s artificial reef program. “She might not be all that big, but she’s a fighting boat.”

Ed Hopkins of Fort Myers heard that Kelly Brothers Marine Contractors of Fort Myers Beach would tow the vessel from Key West, where it had been a floating museum, to their dock on San Carlos Island and showed up under the Matanzas Pass Bridge to photograph the arrival.

“This is a piece of history,” said Hopkins, 54. “It’s been in a war. It’s just intriguing, and I wanted to see it. I had to see it, and I have pictures to show my grandkids.”

Miami-Dade Historic Maritime Museum Inc. donated the cutter to Lee County for use as a veterans memorial reef; the Mohawk is scheduled to be scuttled in July near Charlie’s Reef, about 30 miles offshore.

A $1.3 million grant from the West Coast Inland Navigation District will cover the cost of towing, cleaning and sinking the Mohawk — prepping the ship includes removing hazardous materials, wiring and anything that might break free and float to the surface.

Among the Mohawk’s World War II exploits:

• She was involved in 14 attacks against German U-Boats.

• Her crew rescued 293 survivors from the U.S. Army Transport Chatham on Aug. 27, 1942, and 25 survivors from the British freighter Barberry on Nov. 22, 1942, both of which had been torpedoed by German submarines.

• Acting as a weather ship in the North Atlantic, she was the last vessel to radio Gen. Dwight Eisenhower the weather would be clear enough to launch the invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944.

Scuttled military ships such as the Hoyt S. Vandenberg and Spiegel Grove in the Keys and the Oriskany in the Panhandle have become economic boosts for the communities where they have been sunk, Campbell said.

In terms of economy, the Mohawk is one up-front cost,” Campbell said. “We don’t have to cut the grass. We don’t have to replace the roof. Mother Nature does the maintenance for us.”

While Lee has sunk other vessels as artificial reefs, the Mohawk will be the largest.

“I’m really excited about it,” said Cherri Wood, a member of the Calusa Dive Club. “My husband and I love diving the Gulf. I hope some tour operator will see this as an opportunity to take boats full of people out there and promote diving here.”

Bob Wasno of Bonita Springs, who has been diving the Gulf off Lee County for more than 20 years, was fishing 10 miles offshore at dawn Wednesday when he got his first glimpse of the Mohawk.

“It looks really, really cool,” he said. “Lee County really stepped up to go out and get this ship. You can see the popularity of military ships in the Keys. I can’t wait until that thing is down. It’s going to be exciting.”

While the Mohawk will be an important economic engine and a major destination for divers and fishermen, it also will be a vetrans memorial , Campbell said.

“This is a piece of our national history, and it was going to be scrapped,” he said. “A lot of people didn’t want this boat cut up, sold, melted down and sold back to us as belt buckles.

“Knowing what our veterans have done for us, honoring that service is very important to this community.”

[Hawkboat]

“I’m really excited about it,” said Cherri Wood, a member of the Calusa Dive Club. “My husband and I love diving the Gulf. I hope some tour operator will see this as an opportunity to take boats full of people out there and promote diving here.”

I think Cherri just read my mind.

[Hawkboat]

They are working on it, Late June or July, also seems now they are gonna sink it deeper about 30 offshore in about 100 feet of water.

News Press also has a short video ( no audio) on there site: When your on that page look to the right and click Mohawk Tour, some nice photos.

http://www.news-press.com/article/20...news|text|Home




A World War II fighting ship is being spruced up for her final voyage.

Over the next few weeks, Reefmakers LLC, a Key West company that specializes in sinking large vessels as artificial reefs, will clean the 165-foot former Coast Guard cutter Mohawk at the Kelly Brothers dock on San Carlos Island before scuttling her 30 miles offshore in late June or early July.

Mohawk Veterans Memorial Reef will be dedicated to all U.S. veterans.

“The Mohawk: There’s nothing like her,” said Joe Weatherby, director of marketing for Reefmakers, which was responsible for sinking the 523-foot Vandenberg off Key West. “She’s a war hero. She was a little ship in rough seas with a lot of tough guys on board.”

During World War II, the Mohawk was involved in 14 attacks against German U-boats, rescued 318 survivors from two ships torpedoed by U-boats, and was the last vessel to radio Gen. Dwight Eisenhower the weather would be clear enough to launch the invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944.

Before being towed to San Carlos Island two weeks ago, the Mohawk was a floating museum in Key West. Miami-Dade Historic Maritime Museum Inc. donated the ship to Lee County, and the cost of towing, cleaning and sinking her is covered by a $1.3 million grant from the West Coast Inland Navigation District.

Prepping the Mohawk includes removing hazardous materials, fuel lines, wiring, doors, carpeting, furniture and anything that might break free and float to the surface.

Offshore, strategically placed cutting charges will be blown, and if all goes according to plan, the Mohawk will settle upright on the bottom in 100 feet of water.

“People think that, to reef a ship, you wipe the oil out, knock a hole in it and sink it,” Weatherby said. “There’s more to it than that.

“What you won’t see is a bunch of dead fish floating up. We use the most modern methods. Those charges are more like surgery than a mining operation.”

Reefmakers will leave as much of the Mohawk intact as possible, so when she’s sunk, she’ll have anchor chains and windlass, engines and propellers.

Replica guns also will be added.

“If you strip down a boat like this, a war hero, it just looks like any other boat,” said Mike Campbell, head of Lee County’s Artificial Reef Program. “This is a veterans memorial. We don’t want to take the heart and soul out of her.

“And, aesthetically, it will be more exciting. We want her to look like she did in her fighting days.”

Ed March, 87, of Bonita Springs, served aboard the Mohawk as a petty officer second class in 1943 and 1944.

He said it hurt to see the Mohawk gutted to become an artificial reef. “Nobody will know where she is,” he said.

Weatherby disagreed, saying the Mohawk will be a world-class diving and fishing destination.

“We’re not sinking some old, rusty bucket of crap,” he said. “She’ll look great in the fishing and diving magazines.

“We anticipate that you’ll be able to swim down the smoke stack and into the engine room, if you have the proper training and equipment. People will come from England just to photograph the props.”

[Hawkboat]

Just saw on the news she will scuttled on July 2nd which is a Monday.

This should be something to see, just hope the weather is good! I am sure there will be all sorts of security and we will have to stay our distance. I'll bring the camera in hopes of getting some shots of it.