Ex-Navy destroyer Radford to be sunk as artificial reef

As part of the first multi-state reefing effort, Delaware soon will take title to the decommissioned Navy destroyer ex-Arthur W. Radford to have the former warship sunk next year at an artificial reef off the Indian River Inlet.

The Radford, at a length of 563 feet, will be the longest vessel ever reefed in the Atlantic, with the sinking to take place at the Del-Jersey-Land Inshore site located 26 miles southeast of the Indian River Inlet.

The sinking is expected to occur in late spring or summer of 2010, over the jointly-developed Del-Jersey-Land reef. The reef is a collaborative effort of the three states cited in its name – Delaware, New Jersey and Maryland – and comprises an area of about one square mile with a depth of 120 to 130 feet.