Largest artificial reef
- Who
- OSS Oriskany
- What
- 45/270 metre(s)
- Where
- United States (Pensacola,)
- When
- 17 May 2006
The US Navy's attack aircraft carrier USS Oriskany (aka the "Mighty O", laid 1944) was decommissioned in 1976 after a long, illustrious service, and was scheduled for scrapping until it was decided to be sunk as an artificial reef in the Gulf of Mexico, 38 km (24 miles) off Pensacola, Florida, USA. It was finally sunk on 17 May 2006, thanks to 226 kg (500 lb) of C4 explosives, taking just 37 minutes to reach the sea bed. At 45 m (150 ft) tall and 270 m (888 ft) long, it is the largest artificial reef in the world, attracting an abundance of marine life rarely seen in the northern Gulf of Mexico.