The ships are the USS David R Ray, a 9200-ton destroyer, and USS Vincennes, a 9800-ton anti-air threat cruiser. Both are around 170m long - even larger than Florida's celebrated 155m Spiegel Grove.
The Vincennes is remembered for shooting down an Iranian airliner during the early years of conflict in the Persian Gulf.
If the deal goes ahead, the ships will be passed to the non-profit, public-benefit corporation California Ships to Reefs (CS2R) which will raise the funds for and oversee cleaning, dive-preparation and scuttling of the vessels.
The arrangement seems to suit all parties. The Navy avoids the high cost of scrapping - and initially storing - the vessels, which would outstrip many times over any scrap revenue, while CS2R moves towards its objective, 'to create cultured reefs in key regions of California', boosting dive tourism while improving, rather than damaging, marine life.
CS2R is a coalition of groups from varied localities around the state working to get vessels sunk on their particular doorsteps. There could be plenty more artificial reefs to come if the US Navy agrees that environmentally responsible scuttling is a win-win situation for all.
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