<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
By mid-2012, a significant piece of maritime military history could be resting on the sea floor 15 miles off Lee County.<\/p>\n
Miami-Dade Historic Maritime Museum Inc., has agreed to donate the 165-foot World War II Coast Guard cutter Mohawk to Lee County to be scuttled as an artificial reef.<\/p>\n
Lee County has also been awarded a $1.5 million grant from West Coast Inland Navigation District to pay for towing the vessel from Key West, cleaning and sinking it. The preferred destination for Mohawk is the ARC Reef site in 60 feet of water.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re in the process of doing all the logistic things like writing contracts,\u201d said Mike Campbell, the county\u2019s artificial reef coordinator. \u201cWe\u2019ve never done a project like this before, so we\u2019re figuring out the process. It\u2019s going to take a while. The bottleneck with reefing ships is always funding, and we\u2019ve made that leap.\u201d<\/p>\n
Commissioned in 1935, the \u201cA\u201d class cutter Mohawk served as an escort and ice patrol ship during World War II and was involved in 14 attacks against German U-boats.<\/p>\n
Since 2006, Mohawk has been a floating museum in Key West and is being replaced in that role by the 327-foot cutter Ingham.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen a ship gets to the end of its useful life \u2013 Mohawk is 75 years old \u2013 it takes a substantial amount of work and money to keep her afloat,\u201d said museum manager Bill Verge, a 23-year Coast Guard veteran. \u201cMohawk needs $300,000 worth of work; we just spent $1 million on Ingham. So this was a business decision.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnother decision was whether to turn her over for scrap so people can make razor blades out of her or sink her as an artificial reef so her name can go on for another 80 years.\u201d<\/p>\n
Artificial reefs provide habitat for fish and bring money into the local economy; a recent study showed that Lee County\u2019s artificial reef system had an economic impact in 2009 of $104.2 million.<\/p>\n
Mohawk will add to the ecological and economic benefits, said Lee County Commissioner Ray Judah, who is also a navigation district commissioner.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis ship has a lot of history; it played an active role in World War II,\u201d Judah said. \u201cA lot of military vessels that have been sunk as reefs are in deep water. Because Mohawk will be in shallow water, it should be a tremendous dive site for people from all over the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brent Argabright, owner of Dean\u2019s Dive Center in Fort Myers, agreed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI really think this is a great thing,\u201d he said. \u201cIt could definitely bring tourism dollars to an area that\u2019s not necessarily known for diving. And the lore of the ship adds to it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Although several other vessels have been sunk off Lee County as artificial reefs, Mohawk will be the largest vessel and the only military vessel.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the first ship in your area with an identity and a history,\u201d Verge said. \u201cIt\u2019s the last surviving 165-foot \u2018A\u2019 class cutter from World War II. We\u2019re going to miss the old gal, but it\u2019s a proper burial for her.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
<\/p>\n
The 165-foot Coast Guard cutter Mohawk, now a floating museum in Key West, should be an artificial reef off Lee County by June 2012.
\nMohawk was involved in 14 attacks on German U-boats during World War II. \/ Photo by Brian Lapointe\/Special to The News-Press
\nBy mid-2012, a significant piece of maritime military history could be resting on the sea floor 15 miles off Lee County.
\nMiami-Dade Historic Maritime Museum Inc., has agreed to donate the 165-foot World War II Coast Guard cutter Mohawk to Lee County to be scuttled as an artificial reef.
\nLee County has also been awarded a $1.5 million grant from West Coast Inland Navigation District to pay for towing the vessel from Key West, cleaning and sinking it. The preferred destination for Mohawk is the ARC Reef site in 60 feet of water.
\n\u201cWe\u2019re in the process of doing all the logistic things like writing contracts,\u201d said Mike Campbell, the …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,42,23,40,11,32,31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4553","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-artificial-reefs","category-boats","category-events","category-featured","category-reefs","category-reference","category-report"],"yoast_head":"\n