North Carolina sinks tugboat Thomas Dann to create artificial reef
The 106-foot vessel was placed at the AR-305 reef site off Cape Lookout to support marine life.
The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality's Division of Marine Fisheries sank the 106-foot tugboat Thomas Dann at the AR-305 reef site off Cape Lookout on August 1, 2024, according to the Hindustan Times.
The vessel, which was built in 1981 and suffered a fire in 2016, was donated to the state's Artificial Reef Program by Marinex Construction Co. of Charleston, South Carolina.
Before the sinking, Stevens Towing prepared and sank the ship after it was cleaned to meet Environmental Protection Agency regulations.
The tugboat joins two older ships at the site, the 183-foot Spar sunk in 2004 and the 439-foot Aeolus sunk in 1988.
The reef also contains 1,700 tons of recycled concrete that was donated and deployed in July 2023.
Located about 28 nautical miles south of Beaufort Inlet at a depth of 105 feet, the reef serves as a spawning and feeding ground for various fish.