Cornwall will be the site of Europe’s largest artificial diving reef next year, when a 2,500-tonne warship is sunk off the coast near Plymouth.
According to the online news provider Ananova, the National Maritime Museum in Plymouth has arranged to buy HMS Scylla from the Royal Navy, and after preparation work, the ship will be sunk a mile offshore at Whitsand Bay.
The website states that similar projects already exist in Australia, Canada and New Zealand, but that this will be the first in Europe. The 113-metre-long boat will sit around three metres under the surface at low tide.
Mike Leece, chief executive of the National Maritime Museum, reportedly said: “This will be a fantastic venue for divers and will create wealth for Plymouth and south-east Cornwall. I am delighted that our bid has been successful.”
The National Aquarium will reportedly install web-cams to transmit images back to its headquarters in Plymouth.
