ABOUT CALIFORNIA SHIPS TO REEFS

History

California Ships to Reefs was originally a committee of the San Diego Oceans Foundation (SDOF). In 2000, SDOF sank HMCS Yukon, a former Canadian Navy frigate. Subsequent studies of Yukon have demonstrated that it is not only a premier dive site, but an economic gold mine for the San Diego area.

In 2001, the Rand Corporation, under contract to the Navy and the Maritime Administration (MARAD), published an in depth study of the various alternatives for removing retired ships from inventory.

This study looked at four alternatives and clearly showed reefing as the best alternative:

Long Term Storage: Requires periodic maintenance, is expensive, leaves hazardous materials aboard ships where they are exposed to spillage, and at the end of 100 years, you still have just as many ships to get rid of as you started with.

Domestic Scrapping: Domestic scrap prices are too low and too volatile to make scrapping economically attractive. Labor and safety costs do not allow for sufficient profit. There are too few shipyards which will engage in scrapping.

Overseas Scrapping: Towing to such places as India or Pakistan for scrapping is expensive. What makes overseas scrapping cheap is the fact that labor costs are low, safety costs are non-existent and there are no pollution controls. Toxic wastes are allowed to run off into the sea from the beaches where the ships are broken. Federal law now prohibits the export of such toxics as PCBs or asbestos, so the ships would have to be cleaned here in any case, negating most if not all of the savings.

Reefing: Sinking surplus ships as dive sites is cost effective. The government cleans them of toxics, as they have to do in any event. Private groups such as CS2R or local or state governments, such as along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, then “diverize” them by cutting diver access openings into them and removing such things as overhead cables, for safety. They are then sunk in selected locations to provide dive tourism attractions. An incidental benefit is that they provide structure and hiding places where marine plants and animals can attach, or hide, to feed and breed. RAND determined that the cost of reefing a ship can be recovered within 12 years of its sinking through taxes on dive tourism alone.

Since 2000, Yukon has proved to be even better for the local economy of San Diego than the RAND report projected. RAND 2001 projected that the costs of approximately $1.5 million would be recovered in approximately 12 years. In fact, Yukon has injected approximately $4.5 million per year into the local economy.

In 2005, Dick Long and John Daley of SDOF decided to make California a statewide premier dive destination and took the Ships to Reefs message on the road.

2005 TO PRESENT

Vision:

Establishing a regional system of reefed ships along the California Coast accomplished via a statewide coalition of Sink Groups

Establishing California as an international dive destination

Enhancing the tourism industry centered on fishing and diving

Enhancing California ground fish populations

Progress toward the Vision:

Regional sink groups have been formed in Los Angeles County (Sunken Treasures Society of Los Angeles, Inc.), and Northern California (Northern California Oceans Foundation, Inc.). Additional sink groups are forming now in Ventura County, Catalina and San Diego.

California Ships to Reefs, Inc. (CS2R) was incorporated late last year as the state wide umbrella and coordinating entity with a representative of each sink group on its board of directors. CS2R has met with the California Department of Fish and Game and the Department of Parks and Recreation to clarify the roles of each in the process.

The sink groups have been conducting outreach and fundraising, and have interfaced with local government and elected officials, and regulatory personnel. They have identified several potential sink sites in their areas of responsibility.