Advertisement

National Guard creates ocean reefs with unused vehicles

The South Carolina National Guard dumped dozens of old armored vehicles into the sea to create ocean reefs earlier this month.

By Fred Lambert
The South Carolina Army National Guard dropped armored personnel carriers into the ocean Sept. 4 to create reefs. (Photo: South Carolina Army National Guard)
The South Carolina Army National Guard dropped armored personnel carriers into the ocean Sept. 4 to create reefs. (Photo: South Carolina Army National Guard)

BEAUFORT, S.C., Sept. 21 (UPI) -- The South Carolina Army National Guard reports that it dropped 36 military vehicles into waters off the Atlantic coast earlier this month in order to create reefs that will attract ocean life and tourism.

Since 1997, the state's National Guard has worked in partnership with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources to create man-made reefs from obsolete tanks and armored personnel carriers, which are cleaned and demilitarized before being dumped into the ocean.

Advertisement

On Sept. 4, three-dozen such vehicles were released into waters off the coast of Beaufort. The South Carolina Army National Guard says that the practice has a dual purpose:

"Building artificial reefs encourages sea life to populate the area, which in turn encourages more recreational activities such as fishing and SCUBA diving. This brings revenue to the state."

1st Lt. Jason Dunnagan, Innovative Readiness Training Program coordinator for the South Carolina Army National Guard, said that the project nets about $83 million annually for the state due to revenue related to hotels and deep-sea recreation. "This is a major factor in the state's economy," he said.

Advertisement

In 17 years, 587 armored vehicles have been used to create 1,120,000 cubic feet of reef, according to Robert Martore of the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.

"It won't be long before these recently dropped vehicles will be covered with long puffs of soft corals, sea sponges and barnacles, and used by a variety of fish to provide food and protection," he said. "About a dozen sites exist off Beaufort County, and DNR periodically adds to them as material becomes available."

Latest Headlines