KITTIWAKE to Depart U.S. for Cayman Islands

The Maritime Administration announced today that the former Navy ship Kittiwake is scheduled to depart the Norfolk, Virginia area under tow for the Cayman Islands. The departure marks the completion of months of work to prepare the vessel to be sunk in an environmentally sound manner for use as an artificial reef. The government of the Cayman Islands completed this work in accordance with Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requirements.

The ex-U.S.S. Kittiwake (ASR-7) was built in 1945 for service in the U.S. Navy as a Chanticleer-class submarine rescue vessel. The vessel served mainly in the Atlantic and Caribbean until it was decommissioned in September 1994 and transferred to the Maritime Administration in March 2000. The Cayman Islands first expressed an interest in acquiring the vessel for use as a reef in 2004 and the EPA’s recent final determination letter that there is no evidence that the export of the vessel would be in violation of the Toxic Substances Control Act signals completion of the reefing preparation work and allows the departure of the vessel to the Cayman Islands.

The vessel is currently scheduled to be sunk off of Seven Mile Beach, Grand Cayman, on Sunday, December 5, 2010.

What: Ship Departure from the U.S. to the Cayman Islands

When: Monday, November 22, 2010
(Please be advised that departure dates and times are subject to change and are dependent on weather and other conditions.)

Where: The ship will depart the U.S. from Dominion Marine Group Ltd, Norfolk VA.

Why: To be towed to the Cayman Islands and sunk as an artificial reef at Grand Cayman.

###