The United States will soon be on the bottom of the ocean.

SS United States, that is. Why is this relevant? She was computer scanned and recreated as the troop transport in Tom Hanks' "Greyhound."

The news: Historic US Ship To Be Sunk Off Gulf Coast - Videos from The Weather Channel

By an odd quirk I did my semester paper for Oceanography class at Purdue on artificial reefs. The wildlife in the area of the new reef seem to really appreciate the unexpected shelter. Critters are moving in within hours of the sinking(s). I was a little dubious about 5,000 old car tires being used for this, but about a year later there was very little rubber exposed.

 

Old tyres and junk cars are very effective. Old appliances as well. I did a paper on artificial reefs when I took Oceanography 101 at Purdue. The average time after dumping a load of potential shelters for the critters to start investigating was 30 minutes. This in the sandy shoals off Florida, long considered a desert, but really just a lovely older couple looking for a retirement home, like everybody else in Florida.

 

Old tyres and junk cars are very effective. Old appliances as well. I did a paper on artificial reefs when I took Oceanography 101 at Purdue. The average time after dumping a load of potential shelters for the critters to start investigating was 30 minutes. This in the sandy shoals off Florida, long considered a desert, but really just a lovely older couple looking for a retirement home, like everybody else in Florida.