USS Oriska Diver paradise: Ship to be sunk for man-made reef (1 Viewer)

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Royzee617

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Apr 6, 2005
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Diver paradise: Ship to be sunk for man-made reef

story.manmade.reef.ap.jpg
The USS Oriskany will plummet 210 feet to the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico this summer if things go as planned.
http://edition.cnn.com/2006/TRAVEL/03/03/manmade.reef.ap/
USS Oriskany: Decommissioned ship, scheduled to be sunk in May to become a manmade reef. For details, go to http://www.ussoriskany.com and click on "USS Oriskany as a Reef."

PENSACOLA, Florida (AP) -- The "Mighty O" saw action in Korea and Vietnam and was home base of U.S. Sen. John McCain before he was taken captive by the North Vietnamese, but the aircraft carrier's greatest fame could come when it's on the ocean floor.

If all goes according to plan, explosives will be placed throughout the largely hollowed-out shell of the USS Oriskany in May and it will plummet 210 feet to the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico.

.............
BALTIMORE – March 2, 2006 - Northrop Grumman Corporation has been awarded a $63.9 million contract to provide AN/APG-68(V)9 airborne radars for F-16 Block 52+ aircraft for the Hellenic Air Force.

Northrop Grumman has a direct contract with the United States Air Force for this procurement, which is being managed by the Air Force Materiel Command, located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Delivery of the first of 33 radar systems, which includes three spares, will commence in 2007. The contract also includes an option to provide radars for an additional 10 aircraft.

The AN/APG-68(V)9 radar is an advanced capability system that seven foreign countries have purchased as standard equipment on new F-16s or as upgrade kits for their existing F-16 fleets. To date, Northrop Grumman has delivered more than 250 AN/APG-68(V)9 radars.

"This system delivers greatly improved operational capability -- essentially providing for all-weather, day and night, air-to-ground attack," said Katie A. Gray, vice president of F-16 sensor systems at Northrop Grumman's Electronic Systems sector. "The Hellenic Air Force was one of the first customers for this system, and this is their second major order for the AN/APG-68(V)9 radar. They have been operating Block 52+ F-16s for three years and have developed enhanced mission profiles that are enabled by the improved performance of the radar."

The AN/APG-68(V)9 additionally offers a 33 percent increase in air-to-air detection range over earlier versions of the radar and introduces synthetic aperture radar, which provides high-resolution ground mapping. When combined with other weapon-system improvements, it enables F-16s with autonomous 24-hour, all-weather precision-strike capability. The AN/APG-68(V)9 is also available as an easily-installed upgrade kit for existing F-16 aircraft.

Australia said it will buy up to four new Boeing C-17 military transport aircraft to boost the rapid deployment capability of its armed forces.

"This is the only aircraft currently in production which has a proven capability to meet ADF (Australian Defence Force) operational commitments, in Australia, the region and globally," said Defense Minister Brendan Nelson.

Delivery of the first C-17 would be as early as this year, with the balance of the fleet to be delivered by mid 2008 for a total cost of up to two bln aud, he said.

The new C-17s have four times the carrying capacity of the C-130 Hercules transport aircraft currently used by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF).

"The fleet of up to four aircraft will give Australia a new Responsive Global AirLift capability, significantly enhancing the ADF's ability to support national and international operations, and major disaster rescue and relief efforts," Nelson said.

The C-17 acquisition will be part of a 28.5 bln aud, 10-year upgrade of Australia's armed forces decided by Prime Minister John Howard's government in 2000.
 
Incidently, this Air Craft Carrier was stationed at the Port of Corpus Christi Shipyards when they were taking anything of value off the ship. I watched this ship sail for open waters back when it began it's last journey. Dame shame they could not keep it to join with the U.S.S. Lexington (Lady Lex or The Blue Ghost -- whichever you prefer) The Oriskany sailed past the Lex not more than a few hundred yards from where she is permantly moored as a museum.
 
they still might, the A400M isn't the same class as the C17, the A400's a C-130 replacement, not a C-17 replacement..........

and sinking ships's old news, one was sunk just of plymouth a few years back........
 
Ive got a couple of pics from their site. Wont show them here, theyre each at least 1.8MB and 1500 pixels in each direction... :shock:
But they look bloody good...
 

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