The last cruise

The USS Spiegel Grove is the biggest, priciest, and most controversial artificial reef in the world. And maybe, the most fun.

How else to describe an audacious plan to sink a 510-foot retired Navy landing dock ship that’s had more cost overruns than a Navy fighter jet project and more plot twists than a David Mamet movie?

But after almost eight years during which project organizers struggled with environmentalists, government regulators and one another – and following a premature sinking that necessitated a dramatic salvage operation in hurricane season – the Spiegel Grove has reached her final destination. The vessel now rests on her side in 130 feet of water just off the coast of Florida, waiting to be explored.

Her arrival, at an estimated cost of $1.2 million, opens a new chapter in the history of wreck diving in the islands. Key Largo calls itself the dive capital of the world, but having a ship like the Spiegel Grove virtually ensures that no one will ever dispute that claim. (If they do, they’ll at least concede that Key Largo is the wreck diving capital, featuring other notable ships as the twin 327-foot US Coast Guard cutters Bibb and Duane.)

The artificial reef will also allow many of the island’s overdived reefs to take a much-needed break. Even though its most popular dive spots are within John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park – and protected by state law – they’re often overrun by Scuba divers and snorkelers trying to experience the only living coral reef in the continental United States.

But this is more than a scheme by the island’s dive shops to outdo San Diego’s Yukon or Cayman Brac’s MV Capt. Keith Tibbetts, two of the most famous artificial reefs. Nor is it, as some have suggested, an attempt to maintain Key Largo’s dive-capital predominance before the planned sinking of the USAFS General Hoyt S. Vandenberg, a retired Air Force missile tracking ship, near Key West later this year. (That ship is 10 feet longer than Key Largo’s vessel.)

The Spiegel Grove is a compelling story and a fascinating dive. That’s something Spencer Slate, one of the original project planners, saw even when the ship was still resting in her retirement home at the James River Reserve Fleet in Ft. Eustis, Va., a decade ago. “The perfect artificial reef,” he called her. And even though the ship sunk on her side – a disappointment to many dive shop owners – he was right. The Spiegel Grove is a one-of-a-kind dive.

The ship is named after the Fremont, Ohio, estate of Rutherford B. Hayes, the 19th President of the United States. But what’s less known is what happened to the Spiegel Grove during her years at sea. From the time she was commissioned on June 8, 1956, to the day she ended her active service on December 13, 1989, the Thomaston-class transport vessel seemed to appear wherever there were headlines – in Cuba, the Middle East, the Caribbean and the Mediterranean.

She’s had her brushes with danger, towing the USS Stark to safety in 1987 after an Iraqi Exocet anti-ship missile drilled a hole in the frigate’s hull. And she’s had brushes with fame, as part of the task group that rescued the Apollo 14 crew in 1971. On November 14, 1978, the Spiegel Grove became the first ship in history to land an air-cushioned vehicle in its well deck. During the mid-1980s, just before she was decommissioned, the vessel ran a series of secret missions, deploying surveillance equipment in Grenada and dropping minesweepers in Nicaragua, according to her former crew.

The ship’s interesting history is only one reason that divers are likely to be drawn to this artificial reef. Many others will come for the dive. From its huge well deck to a bridge that’s been “Swiss cheesed” to make it more accessible to divers, the Spiegel Grove is an incomparable wreck dive experience. A vessel this large can’t be explored in one or two trips; it will continue to beckon history buffs and adventure-seekers for a return visit.

It’s difficult to understate the Spiegel Grove’s vastness. Under the best diving conditions during the summer, with 85-degree water and 100-foot visibility, you’re only able to see a quarter of the ship at a time. The rest of her vanishes into a seascape of green and blue. The ship rises a lopsided eight stories off the bottom of the ocean, making her ideal for both advanced divers who want to reach the limit of recreational diving or snorkelers who just want to see the superstructure from above.

The ship isn’t without dangers, though. Whole sections of the Spiegel Grove have been welded shut to prevent novice divers from penetrating the vessel, losing their way and running out of air. Rescue divers in Key Largo worked closely with the ship’s cleaning crew to make sure the right areas were sealed shut before the Spiegel Grove went down. It makes perfect sense to close the areas off – they’re dark deathtraps that contain nothing but old pipes and hinges on which a diver could snag a hose.

But after the ship sank prematurely in May and flipped over, marine salvagers had to cut new holes into the hull to reposition the Spiegel Grove. It’s still not clear whether that will make this any less safe or if the new openings won’t affect divers.

Of course, it’s every wreck diver’s dream of finding a souvenir on a military vessel such as the Spiegel Grove. Even though every precaution is being been taken to prevent a divers from reaching her hazardous lower decks, and all mementos are long gone, it’s the possibility of such a find, however remote, that will make some divers return to the ship.

Then again, maybe it’s just the thrill of diving the world’s largest wreck that will keep them coming back.

Christopher Elliott is the author of Scammed: How to Save Your Money and Find Better Service in a World of Schemes, Swindles, and Shady Deals. Critics have called it “eye-opening” and “inspiring” — it’ll “grab your attention and won’t let go.” Order your copy now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble or iTunes.

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