Another Spru-can chops into Davy Jones’ AOR
August 20th, 2009 | Diving Historical Science and technology Ships | Posted by Phil Ewing
The destroyer Arthur W. Radford, seen here underway in 2002, is to be sunk as an artificial reef off Delaware // Navy
Naval Sea Systems Command announced Thursday it’s transferring one of the fleet’s best-known Spruance-class destroyers to the state of Delaware so it can be turned into an artificial reef. It’s the beginning of the end for the destroyer Arthur W. Radford, also known as “The Finger.”
Although final details for the transfer still must be ironed out, the basics are in place: The Radford will be sunk in the Atlantic at a spot equidistant from Cape May, N.J.; Ocean City, Md.; and Indian River Inlet Del. The ship will rest on the bottom in about 120 feet of water, NavSea said, which will make it a relatively easy dive.
The Radford is one of the last Spruance-class destroyers, ships that were a mainstay in the surface fleet of the 1970s and 80s, before the arrival of the Aegis-equipped Arleigh Burke class. Almost all of them have been sunk as targets or otherwise disposed of. Radford’s career took it around the world for 26 years and included a series of adventures and misadventures detailed on its surprisingly comprehensive Wikipedia page.
The ship earned its nickname “The Finger” after it was outfitted in 1997 with an experimental composite mast, to test the technology later used in the enclosed masts of the Navy’s San Antonio-class gators. In the view of some observers, this made it seem as though the destroyer was flipping you the bird. It won’t take that feature to the bottom, though; the Radford’s composite mast was removed when the ship was mothballed, and other topside features also likely will be cut away before it goes to its final resting place.
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Jesse Says:
August 25th, 2009 at 8:17 amI just hope they take into account for the ship sinking in the mud when they lay her to rest. The Oriskany’s flight deck in Pensacola, Florida was said to be at 130′, but sank an additional 30-40′ after she settled to the bottom in the mud. Just takes away some of the dive when it goes below a depth that requires technical training to visit her true characteristics!
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Dan Mitchell Says:
April 14th, 2010 at 2:13 pmI served aboard her from ’83-87. Sorry to see the old girl go.