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voor de liefhebbers van duiken op gezonken schepen :)

Texas Liberty Ships (& Reefs)
11 pdf includings diving maps

Ships to Reefs
The sinking of large obsolete ships to become artificial reefs adds a unique dimension to the Artificial Reef Program. In the coming years, the Program will again look to expand its Ships-to-Reefs efforts. This segment began in the mid 1970"s with the reefing of 12 Liberty Ships at six sites along the Texas coast. Since that time, however, ships of this size have been virtually unavailable to coastal states. Recently, the U.S. Navy, U.S. Maritime Administration and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have drafted guidelines for coastal states to follow in the preparation of obsolete ships for their respective artificial reef programs. Texas will continue to compete for the opportunity to acquire these ships for our offshore waters...

Artificial Reefs Overview
Artificial reefs rise like oases in the desert -- dotting the vast expanses of mud and sand covering the floor of the Gulf of Mexico. These underwater havens provide hard surfaces required for attachment by invertebrates such as barnacles, corals, sponges, clams, bryozoans and hydroids. Hard bottom habitats do occur naturally in Texas offshore waters, but they are very limited and receive tremendous fishing pressure because of their productivity. Most occur tens of miles from shore. The best example is the Flower Gardens Banks National Marine Sanctuary which lies just over 100 miles from Galveston. The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council estimated the total natural reef habitat in the Gulf of Mexico to be 15,000 square miles in 1989. Less than a third of that is found offshore of Texas and Louisiana. Hard substrate that is introduced into the marine environment by man flourishes with life. The many petroleum platforms (Rigs) on the Continental Shelf have served as unintentional artificial reefs for decades. A 1981 estimation of reef habitat provided by rigs was just under 2,000 square miles. Those that remain in place through the Rigs to Reefs Program will continue to serve as fishing and diving destinations. Other reef sites developed by placing suitable man made materials on the sea floor through the Ships to Reefs Program and the Near Shore Reefs Program are particularly important places where encrusting invertebrates can secure themselves...

Thanks to Dead Slow :)