We Sank A Giant Barge! Onboard Cameras Capture The Seafloor Impact.

How we intentionally sunk a barge in the ocean that was nearly 200 feet long! This video shows a point of view perspective from the crew aboard the vessel during its last moments afloat at sea.

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00:00 We are going to sink this barge
00:20 Climbing onto the barge
01:08 Deploying the massive barge anchor
01:30 Preparations for vessel sinking
02:23 Pumping water into the barge
03:06 Onboard sink camera locations
04:00 The ship is sinking
04:30 Ocean water rushing into the wheelhouse
06:10 Seafloor impact and sunken vessel underwater camera views
07:30 Why did we sink the barge
07:45 Another sunken ship becomes a reef
08:04 Project planning and artificial reef preparations
08:20 Walking the crane off the barge
08:44 The sunk vessel will create an underwater ecosystem

The process went something like this...
Once onboard, the sinking team opened holes along the sides of the barge to allow sea water to enter. Several high flow pumps were used to pump in enough water to lower the barge to the point where water entered the holes. Then pumps were removed, and at this point, the barge was sinking.

Check out the children's book "Spike The Tugboat." It is based on a real-life ship that was sunk to create an artificial reef. Written by video host Joe Kistel.
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Just prior to departing the sinking ship, project coordinator and video host Joe Kistel turned on several onboard cameras to document the sinking. This video shows the intense and spectacular views these cameras recorded as the vessel succumbed to the ocean and sank to the seafloor. These cameras continued to record for quite some time while the barge was sitting on the ocean bottom. They captured some interesting activity including rust stained water pumping out of the access holes on the deck.

Offshore fishermen and scuba divers will appreciate the book "North Florida Reefs," a visual guide to the offshore fishing and diving locations of North Florida. Written by video host Joe Kistel. https://shop.lightningsource.com/b/085?hhfIxU6lnB77LL97WNllIsTT0oSU9hhmsfO8WCX7QQf

The sinking vessel project was a very involved effort with the motive to create marine habitat. The barge was properly prepared to an appropriate condition to use to create an artificial reef. It was sunk at a predetermined and surveyed location that is permitted for artificial reef material placements.

Within months the vessel will start to colonize with organisms such as corals and sponges. Multiple fish species will use the wreck for shelter and resources. Over time, the underwater world this sunken barge will give life to, will mimic the biological activity of nearby natural reef systems.

This project was made possible by the following:
Mobro Marine
Coastal Conservation Association Florida
The Cameron Smith Foundation
Kistel Media

A special thanks to the many others involved including:
The Jacksonville Sheriffs Office Dive Team - Dive and Sonar Ops
Nate Tucei of "Nassau WebDesign" - Dive Ops and Drone Imagery
Jacksonville Offshore Sports Fishing Club - Sink Day Vessel Support
Melissa Long - City of Jacksonville
Larry Davis - Video Production Support
Ed Kalakauskis
Darrin Willingham
Nautical Divers LLC - Sink day transport and dive ops

#ocean #scubadiving #sinkingships

Some of the song Atlantis was used in this video.
Atlantis by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/