I HAD HOPED TO MAKE IT DOWN AND COVER THIS, BUT ALAS, I COULDN’T: Decommissioned U.S. Navy ship scuttled off Cayman Islands to create artificial reef. But maybe I’ll get down there later in the year and do a video dive report.

Meanwhile, here’s a nice pre/post sinking video from the folks at Sunset House.

UPDATE: Reader M.C. Parsons writes:

As a 22 year old Lt. I was the Chief Engineer of the Kittiwake. The video brought tears – the last to go down was my stateroom.

She was commissioned in 1946 as a forward sub tender. She worked on the recovery of the Challenger and picked up quiet a few sunken air craft. One sailor had a bumper sticker that read, “Fly Navy, divers need the work”.

When visitors asked me, “What’s a Kittiwake” I always quipped, “Its what you get when you drag a cat through the water.” That always pissed the skipper off.

Thanks for sharing the video.

Heh. It’s always sad to see a ship retired, but this is a better home than being broken up. She’ll bring pleasure to many people — and fish.