A decommissioned ferry has left for a journey to the bottom of the Atlantic.
The M/V Twin Capes became the newest addition to Delaware’s artificial reef system Friday when the ship sank into the Del-Jersey-Land Inshore Artificial Reef.
Christened in 1975, The Twin Capes served as one of three original vessels of the Delaware River and Bay Authority’s 1970s fleet. It carried out thousands for trips between its namesake cities, Cape May and Cape Henlopen, before it retired in 2013.
In 2017, Norfolk, Virginia-based marine contractor, Collen Marine bought the ship. The same company prepared the ship before it sank, removing any material that could hurt sea life and adding holes to help it sink.
The ship joins a submerged fleet that includes Iwo Jima survivor Zuni/Tamaroa and the ex-destroyer USS Arthur W. Radford.
Since 1996, Delaware has created 14 artificial reef sites along the Atlantic coast and in the Delaware Bay. The program has sunk everything from tug boats to New York City subway cars in order increase the development of invertebrate communities in the Mid-Atlantic.
The submerged ships provide a unique opportunity for deep-sea divers, who can view the sunken ships and the marine life that develops on their remains.
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This ship is likely to attract tunas, sharks, and even barracudas to the area, thanks to its shark-fin smokestacks, four decks, and multiple lounges, the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control said.
