An 888ft Essex-class aircraft carrier standing upright on the Gulf floor, the largest vessel ever deliberately sunk as a reef…An 888ft Essex-class aircraft carrier standing upright on the Gulf floor, the largest vessel ever deliberately sunk as a reef. The superstructure and bridge are within reach at 24-37m; the flight deck itself is a technical dive. Amberjack, barracuda and whale sharks in season. Commissioned 1950, served two Vietnam deployments, and suffered a catastrophic 1966 magnesium flare fire that killed 44. Scuttled 17 May 2006 in a controlled 37-minute sinking, becoming the world's largest artificial reef. Anchorage: Open Gulf, no shelter, weather window essential. Hazards: No site-specific hazards noted, brief normally. More