PENSACOLA, Fla. (AP) - A retired aircraft carrier returned Wednesday to Pensacola, where the Navy plans to sink it and create the first of many artificial reefs from former warships. The USS Oriskany, a famed Korean and Vietnam War ship, is scheduled to be sunk May 17. Explosives will placed on board and the ship will go down about 22 miles off the Pensacola coast.
A permit issued by the Environmental Protection Agency allows the carrier to be sunk with toxic PCBs in its paint, insulation and other ship parts. The EPA said the chemicals would slowly leach as the carrier rusts, and would pose no danger to marine life or humans. The Oriskany was first towed to Pensacola in December 2004, only to be towed back to Texas in June to ride out the 2005 hurricane season. |