NORFOLK, Va. — The Spirit of Norfolk will soon have a new purpose.
Meeting documents from Okaloosa County, Florida detail that the Spirit and the Skippin Sue vessel were approved to be sold for over $740,000.
Back in 2022, a massive fire severely damaged the Spirit. According to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the fire was likely caused by the ignition of combustible materials stored near an exhaust pipe of the operating port generator. The ship then sat docked at Naval Station Norfolk with its fate uncertain.
The Spirit is now headed to the Destin-Fort Walton beach area to become an artificial reef.
Angler or fishman, Tyler Sterling said he thinks the move will help recreational and commercial fishing.
"There's never a shortage of them, it's always good to have more out there," said Sterling. "When they make them, they're public. So, anyone with their boat can go out there and find it."
In the Commonwealth of Virginia, artificial reefs are nothing new – especially to the Hampton Roads area. In the Chesapeake Bay, there are more than a dozen artificial reefs, and they have become a popular spot for anglerfish.
The reefs are made to replicate a fish’s habitat using recycled materials like old ships and concrete, thereby attracting more to the area.
Sterling and his friends said they are excited the old ship is being repurposed, while other anglers said they feel the ship should remain in Hampton Roads.
Norfolk resident and recreational fisher, Steven Epstein said there is a demand for more artificial reefs creation in the region.
According to Sterling's co-worker, Jaxson Turner, older artificial reefs have become victims of "overfishing," depleting the previously existing fish population.
In July of 1992, the General Assembly authorized the development of artificial reefs.
The Virginia Marine Resource Commission oversees the Commonwealth Artificial Reef Program, with support from the Virginia Saltwater Recreational Fishing Development Fund
The Virginia Saltwater Sportfishing Association (VSSA) also pushed for more artificial reefs in the area. In 2022, the VSSA launched a pilot program to drop artificial reefs off the shore of Norfolk’s Ocean View section. The goal was to provide new material to existing reefs that needed it, to continue attracting fish