一艘888呎長的美國海軍航空母艦歐立斯康尼號（USS Oriskany）在15日被炸沉，以作為人工魚礁。這將會是美國有史以來最大的一個人工魚礁，也是第一艘被海軍刻意破壞來做為魚礁的船。
這艘船是以炸藥在離潘薩寇拉海岸24哩處被炸沉，而此區也是艾斯坎比亞東邊大型人工魚礁的位置，此區共涵括了77平方哩的面積。這艘船花了5小時才完全沉入海平面。
為了完成沉船作業，除了必須符合美國環保署規定的造礁作業之環境準備外，還必須安排一些事前工作，如讓水流進入船體及安排逃生等事宜，這些工作讓美國海軍花了1,300多萬美元。根據歐立斯康尼博物館及歐立斯康尼聯合會表示，縱使如此，這個花費還是比將船解體來得少。
要使這艘船成為人工魚礁的準備工作重點包括移除船上的燃料及清除油料，務必讓船身不留油污。並去除任何可能脫落的石綿物料粉末，及電容器和變壓器內含的液態多氯聯苯（PCB）。
電池、海龍、汞及抗凍劑、冷卻劑、消防物質、黑水及灰水和砷穩定水也都要全部清除。因船身內水面上升所造成的衝力，預估會有部分殘骸因此而漂出。為此，負責環境維護工作的同一組承包商將會在沉船後兩天，於現址以工具打撈所有懸浮的殘骸，清潔船體。
人造魚礁最常見的用途是增加漁獲及增加魚群密度。其好處有增加海洋生物的生產力和生物多樣性，刺激休閒潛水觀光，保護當地自然環境，且因 藤壺和海綿會生長在船的表面，如同生物過濾器，可處理懸浮的養分，以淨化海水，改善水質。
An obsolete U.S. Navy aircraft carrier, the 888 foot ship once known as the USS Oriskany, was sunk Wednesday as an artificial reef, the largest in U.S. history, and the first vessel that the Navy intentionally scuttled to form an artificial reef.
The vessel was sunk with explosives about 24 miles off the coast of Pensacola at a site that is part of the permitted Escambia East Large Area Artificial Reef site, which covers 77 square miles. It took about five hours to disappear beneath the surface.
The U.S. Navy has spent more than $13 million on the ex-Oriskany to complete the environmental preparations for reefing in conformance with U.S. EPA guidance, to accomplish the sink preparations to allow internal flooding of the ship and to execute the scuttling event. This amount is still less than the cost of dismantling the ship, according to the Oriskany Museum and USS Oriskany Reunion Association.
The scope of work to prepare the ship for sinking as an artificial reef included removal and disposal of fuels and oils so that the ship is essentially petroleum free; removal and disposal of any loose or detached friable asbestos containing material; as well as removal and disposal of all capacitors and transformers containing liquid PCBs.
Batteries, halon, mercury, antifreeze, coolants, fire extinguishing agents, black and gray water, and chromated ballast water were all removed and disposed of.Some debris is expected to be released from the ship due to the force of rising water within the hull. To prepare for this, the same contractor that conducted environmental remediation of the ship will be on site for two days after the sinking with cleanup vessels equipped with skimmers to pick up any floating debris.
The most common use for artificial reefs has been to promote fishing and increase fish density. Benefits include increased marine life production and biodiversity, tourism promotion for recreational diving, preservation of local natural environments. Improved water quality can occur as filter feeders such as barnacles and sponges that grow onto the ship's hard surfaces act as biofilters and process excess suspended nutrients, clearing the water.
