USS Oriskany

USS Oriskany is a purpose-sunk Essex-class aircraft carrier that now serves as the world’s largest artificial reef. Its 911 ft length and expansive flight deck, island, hangar and hull create a dramatic structure rapidly colonized by corals, sponges and other organisms, making it a very popular dive attraction. The site is accessible only by boat and requires a long offshore trip (about 22.5 nautical miles). Depths range from roughly 84 ft at the top of the stack to about 212 ft at the keel, with key features such as the flight deck (~146 ft), bridge (about 107–134 ft) and hangar deck (~175 ft); many features lie beyond standard recreational limits, so the wreck is generally dived by advanced and technical divers. Visibility is often good though plankton and particulates can reduce it, water temperature varies seasonally (warm in summer, cooler in winter), and currents can be present; operators advise using a descent line, deep-diving training and appropriate equipment, and interior penetration is suitable only for technical divers with lights and reels. At 911 ft long, the carrier served in the Korean and Vietnam Wars and was purpose-sunk on May 17, 2006; it now lies upright in about 212 ft of water as an intentionally sunk artificial reef.