‘Perfect Storm’ ship to be part of artificial reef

The ship made famous in the book and subsequent film The Perfect Storm is about to be intentionally sunk off the New Jersey and Delaware coasts so it can become part of an artificial reef.

The sinking of the Tamaroa, a 62-metre Coast Guard vessel, initially was scheduled to take place several months ago, but was repeatedly delayed by rough seas and other related issues.

Officials say they plan to sink it on Wednesday morning, about 61 kilometres off the coast of Cape May, New Jersey. They note that the ocean waters need to be as calm as possible so the vessel can sink straight down to the reef.

Extensive work also had to be done before the ship could be sunk, including the removal of interior panelling and insulation as well as emptying and cleaning the vessel of all fuel and fluids.

A tugboat began hauling the Tamaroa from a Norfolk, Virginia, shipyard on Monday afternoon and it slowly made its way up the Eastern Seaboard on Tuesday without any issues, according to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.

The Tamaroa was first commissioned by the US Navy in 1934 under the name Zuni and saw action during the Second World War when it helped tow damaged vessels across the war-torn Pacific Ocean. It was transferred to the Coast Guard and renamed in 1946, then continued to serve until it eventually was decommissioned in 1994.

The vessel’s most notable mission came in October 1991, when three strong storm systems came together off the New England coast, generating 12-metre waves and wind gusts of more than 112km/h.

The Tamaroa’s crew helped save three people aboard a sailboat that was caught in the storm. They also rescued four of five crewmen of an Air National Guard helicopter that ran out of fuel during a similar rescue mission and had to be ditched in the ocean.

Both events were documented in Sebastian Junger’s 1997 book, The Perfect Storm, and a movie of the same name starring George Clooney.