From: Rob Bleser, Spiegel Grove Project Manager
To: All Parties Interested in Diving the Spiegel Grove

To All Dive Operators and Key Largo Sport Diving Interests:

As everyone is aware, the Spiegel Grove site has been closed to sport diving since the discovery of its miraculous roll into a perfectly upright position. The Sanctuary personnel, in conjunction with Monroe County representatives and volunteers, have been working diligently at the following:

• Assessment of stability
• Environmental analysis
• Diver ingress and egress/Diver safety issues
• Mooring buoy placement/pattern analysis and deployment

In general, the following analysis has been presented to the KLNMS Superintendent by John Halas (Resource Manager, KLNMS) and George Garrett (Director, Monroe County Marine Resources):

For the past three years, a predominantly NE current flow has resulted in a dredging/scouring effect that dug a trench underneath and behind the starboard side of the ship. A few weeks ago, the trench was measured to be over 140 fsw. deep at the stern, and 150 fsw. at the bow.

The ship, lying on its starboard side with a slight list towards being upright, was anxious to complete the roll. During the attempt to right the ship when she was upside-down, we wrapped an anchor cable around the ship and attached it to the port prop shaft. We then took the anchor and placed it perpendicular to the ship (SW), so that as the tugs pulled on it, the cable would spin the ship like a top. Once the towing lines on the two tugs broke, and the ship came to rest on the bottom, that cable remained tight.

According to Key West Meteorologist Matt Strahan, there were 20 ft waves that traveled up the reef line all the way from down south, creating a strong "rip-tide" type of current flowing along the outer edge, to the NE. With the well deck facing into the current like a scoop, the erosion underneath, and the cable still in play, the force was evidently enough to help the ship roll the rest of the way - right into the trench.

The anchoring of the Spiegel Grove prior to the sinking was performed by the Sanctuary, and those anchors held well. The end result is that the ship is still where it was, both in orientation and GPS coordinates.

The Future Schedule of Operations is as follows:

The Mooring Buoy Maintenance crew will continue its work on Monday, July 18.

On Tuesday, July 19, the site will be open to all Dive Shop operators and personnel (in commercial vessels only) to assist in mooring buoy deployment and to gain their own orientation/assessment of the wreck (prior to customer use).

On Wednesday, July 20, the site will re-open for the general public.

Please keep in mind that the assessments and evaluations will be ongoing for some time. Anything that anyone observes and considers a matter of concern and/or interest should be forwarded to John Halas or George Garrett.

Many thanks are extended to John Halas, Hank Becker, Steve Schalk, George Garrett, Doc Scwienler (Ocean Divers), and all of the volunteers who have worked so rapidly and efficiently to get the site re-opened.

Regards,
Rob Bleser, Manager
Spiegel Grove Reefing Project

With these words above, Rob Bleser, Project Manager for the Spiegel Grove Artificial Reef, announced:

1. The fact that when Hurricane Dennis passed off the west coast of Florida, significant oceanic swells were generated, and these large waves (up to 20-feet) miraculously caused the 510-foot Landing Ship Transport Spiegel Grove to turn upright.
2. A likely scenario for why it happened.
3. The tasks now completed by Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and staff.
4. 4. When it will reopen to the diving public (Wednesday, July 20th).

I've been involved with this project from the moment it was conceived, around a bar table with probably one-too-many Budweisers in each of us; and then through the fundraising, acquisition, cleaning, towing, on-site preparations, premature sinking, and then what we thought was the final chapter, the corrective sinking with the vessel coming to rest on its starboard side. With that history with the Spiegel Grove, I was especially gratified to be able to dive this wreck on Monday, July 18th, in its new orientation, perfectly upright.

Here is a chronology of the wreck, in pictorial form:

It took about 9 years to actually get the Spiegel Grove to this point, sitting at anchor, getting prepped for diver safety and then ready to sink as a dive attraction off Key Largo. The original budget for the project came from a little money left over after we sank the Bibb and Duane shipwrecks in Key Largo in 1987. With that we funded a scouting mission for a bigger/better shipwreck. We still wanted a military vessel, so UW photographer and former Key Largo National Marine Sanctuary Manager Bill Harrigan flew up to Norfolk, VA and scoured the James River Fleet for the right vessel. It had to be BIG, but not too big or it would stick out of the water. It had to have military significance (no ratty coastal freighter for us!), and it had to have structure that would be appealing for sport divers once she was on the bottom.

The Maritime Administration (MARAD) was willing to donate the ship, but it had to be cleaned of contaminants and then donated to the State of Florida. The State of Florida was willing to help, but we had to be financially responsible. So, we did fundraisers and had significant donations from Monroe County Tourist Development Council.

Once a budget was in place, we took possession of the vessel, and moved it to a dock in Norfolk to have it cleaned and prepped for diver safety. Here a whole new set of issues conspired to delay and endanger the project. It is a long story, but let's just say that piracy is still alive and well in the ship breaking and cleaning industry!

With the clock ticking and money gone, the local dive community came to the realization the only way to save this project was to offer dive medallions to those who dive the artificial reefs of Key Largo. There are a limited number of lifetime medallions for $250, or an annual medallion for $10. With local dive industry support for the concept, TIB Bank of the Keys arranged a loan, co-signed by Kevin Senecal of www.diversdirect.com.

With the budget now swelling to over $2 million dollars, the Spiegel Grove was finally on location in Key Largo by May of 2002. Local volunteers worked for nearly 3 weeks to do final preparations, and then the unthinkable happened, the Spiegel Grove sank hours ahead of schedule, and upside down as well. Yikes!

During the controlled flooding of the vessel she took on water too quickly and capsized. A pocket of air remained trapped in the bow, and so her stern sat on the ocean floor in 130 feet, but this 510 foot ship was still sticking out of the water, creating a huge navigational hazard, and not really what we had in mind for a dive site.

More fundraising had to happen very quickly, and big contributions came from Ocean Reef Club, Islamorada Chamber of Commerce, and our friends at the Monroe County Tourist Development Council. We hired Resolve Marine and they put giant lift bags on one side of the vessel and a couple of tugs pulling on the other side, hoping they could right the vessel. Well, that did not happen exactly, but after a couple of weeks of their labor, combined with hundreds of man-hours of dive support from our local dive community, the Spiegel Grove was finally on the bottom and ready to receive sport divers. She sat on her starboard side in 130 feet of water, with the port rail at about 55 feet.

Actually, she was a pretty great wreck. The massive twin propellers were very popular attractions, and the ship held giant congregations of schooling grunts, grouper, eels, and even jewfish. There were 7 mooring buoys on the wreck, and rarely was one idle as people came from all over the world to dive the Spiegel Grove. She had now become one of the most famous shipwrecks in the world, and Key Largo was justifiably proud!

Divers who paid $250 for a lifetime medallion have their names engraved onto a permanent plaque affixed to the ship. For more information or medallion purchase, contact admin@keylargochamber.org, info@keylargodiving.com or info@oceandivers.com.

Once Hurricane Dennis passed and we realized the ship was now upright (what a surprise that was!!), Sanctuary personnel and local volunteers worked together to get new mooring buoys installed. Here Hank Becker, Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary mooring buoy guru (left) and Doc Schweinler from Ocean Divers prepare to hand mooring buoys to divers, who will in turn tether them to the wreck. There are 8 new mooring buoys on the Spiegel Grove now.

All of the following photos of the Spiegel Grove sitting upright came from a single 20-minute dive on Monday afternoon, July 18th, in about 25 feet of visibility. Rob Bleser was my dive buddy. Significant is the fact that I never dropped below 80 feet on this dive. The crane is at about 65 feet, and the same for the wheelhouse and two of the gun emplacements. One is a little deeper, maybe 75 feet, and the front of the bow was exactly at 80 feet according to my computer. Rob's computer read 84 feet, but the point is, the very best part of the wreck is now relatively shallow. Plus, all the exit holes that were cut in the wreck during that 3 weeks she sat at anchor now make sense. There is far more light penetrating the wreck now, and she is far more appealing in every way.

Here is a prediction for the future as well. The way the Spiegel Grove turned sideways to the current, on days with very heavy flow the sand was kicked up and actually sandblasted a lot of the filter feeders that would normally cloak the vessel. Just look at the Duane to see how richly decorated a shipwreck can be in these waters. Now that the wreck is upright, there will be lee surfaces for sponge to grow and I think we will see a lot more decoration and even more marine life in fairly short order.

Imagine how beautiful this wreck will be when the marine life returns in force to their recently (and temporarily) vacated home, and when the 100 foot water clarity from the Gulf Stream begins to pass though once again. If you have dived the Spiegel Grove before, you really need to do it again. If you have never dived the Spiegel Grove, this is a very special shipwreck and you need to do it now.

Additional coverage can be found at www.fla-keys.com/news/news.cfm?sid=1504.