Former ship museum to become coral reef
The Carthaginian II will be sunk in 95 feet of water off of Maui
LAHAINA » The 97-foot, rusting hull of the Carthaginian II will begin its new life tomorrow as the home for fish and other ocean creatures.
The German-made cargo ship outfitted in the 1970s to look like a 19th-century whaling vessel and moored for decades in Lahaina Harbor as a tourist attraction will be sunk off Maui as an artificial reef.
"This will keep the Carthaginian in Lahaina's waters where she belongs, while improving the quality of our sub tour," said Jim Walsh, general manager of owner Atlantis Submarines Maui. "It's a good solution for the community."
On Friday the state Board of Land and Natural Resources completed a lease agreement for submerged state lands. The agreement was the final government permit needed for the plan.
But that does not leave much time for Atlantis to get the work done.
As part of its environmental impact review, the tour company agreed not to sink the vessel during whale season. By state law, that season begins Thursday.
The selected site 95 feet below the surface and about a half-mile off Puamana Beach Park currently has no coral.
The Carthaginian II had once housed a whaling museum. But as maintenance costs on the rusting vessel first christened in 1920 climbed to $50,000 a year, the Lahaina Restoration Foundation decided to scuttle the ship.
In 2003 the foundation sold the ship to Atlantis so that the boat could be reused as an artificial reef.
Atlantis, which operates in Kona, Guam, the Caribbean and Mexico, has some experience in reef creation. The company has sunk a Navy tanker, fishing boat and the hulls of two airplanes off Waikiki.
"We take great pride in being stewards of the marine environment that Atlantis works in. So we've been committed to doing this project the right way," Walsh said of the two-year process. "This artificial reef will have a very positive impact on Lahaina's marine life."
The ship has been cleared of hazardous chemicals and will be stripped of any top equipment that could be a hazard to navigation.