Coast Guard Enforces Safety Zone for Artificial Reef

Petty Officer 2nd Class Gaines Huneycutt and his Coast Guard Station Destin, Fla., rescue boatcrew enforce a one-mile safety zone around the vessel seen on the horizon Wednesday, May 17, 2006. The vessel, formerly the USS Oriskany, an 888-foot Navy aircraft carrier, was rigged with explosives and sunk as an artificial reef about 23 miles southeast of Pensacola. Also involved in the safety zone enforcement, designed to ensure the safety of crews and spectators on scene, were boatcrews aboard the Coast Guard Cutters Cobia and Bonito, and patrol boats from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Alabama Marine Police, and local and county law enforcement agencies. A rescue jetcrew from Coast Guard Aviation Training Center Mobile, Ala., patrolled the skies during the event. U.S. Coast Guard photograph by Petty Officer 1st Class Kyle Niemi.