USTS Texas Clipper: Creation of an Artificial Reef 17 November 2007

The "Texas Clipper" was a training ship for the Texas Maritime Academy located at Texas A & M University, Galveston, Texas. The ship has its final resting place 17 nm northeast of South Padre Island, Texas in the Gulf of Mexico serving as an artificial reef for diving and fishing. Frederick Mann, USCG Auxiliary, shot the video from deck of the USCGC Amberjack. Mann served as a "Sea Aggie" aboard the "Clipper" during the summer of 1968. That summer cruise included "singing the Aggie War Hymn" in New York City, Oslo, Norway, Amsterdam, Holland, Lisbon, Portugal, Gibraltar, Las Palmas, Canary Islands, San Juan,Puerto Rico and Corpus Christi, Texas.

[@yutufyourselable]

What a beautiful shape this ship had.

[@rich_edwards79]

Yes, the SS Excambion (one of the original '4 Aces' built in the Thirties) had the yacht-like lines of a proper pre-war ocean liner. Lovely proportions with a subtle 'sheer' made her one of the prettiest cargo liners ever built imho. I wish they'd sunk some redundant cruise ship or something and restored this beauty instead. As the last of her type, she deserved better than this.

[@TheEmeraldMenOfficial]

@@rich_edwards79Well, we still have Astoria (ex-SS Stockholm)

[@idk-cb8di]

@@TheEmeraldMenOfficialFun Fact: That was the ship that collided with the Andrea Doria back in 1956.

[@dougneuman2579]

I trained on Her in the mid 90's at A&M galveston. Brought some emotions watching this. And have spent many nights on the M\V fling. She was our hotel after Rita. And the DBL 152 oil apill

[@5thGenNativeTexan]

Nice vid. Laughed when I heard the guy say "Spree, get out of the way". I've been on the MV Spree numerous times for the Flower Gardens dives.

[@norms3913]

As the charter boat comes scuttling along in front of the camera guy it never fails

[@markhartman2972]

I love these professional people

[@dogmannz]

Thank you for not ruining this video with moronic idiotic music which seems to be on lots of other sinking videos.

[@nathanhudson-young2460]

Sinking ships are so satisfying to watch.

[@eddieheal3157]

Just the opposite, very sad, especially if you have served on her. But better than the sight of a ship being scrapped.

[@toyman9642]

Artificial reefs are amazing. Watch some videos of these reefs a year later. Teeming with fish.

[@captraykelly]

Very cool. I witnessed one from my boat off Palm Beach, FL

[@Salguine]

Skip to about 7:23 to see anything interesting.

[@Stanley7746]

Good job guys

[@SheltonDCruz]

Interesting history of her from wikipedia: Arriving via Eniwetok, she debarked troops at Iwo Jima 26 March. She began medical treatment for Iwo Jima casualties 30 March. Departing Iwo Jima 12 April with 1,500 Marines, she proceeded via Guam, Eniwetok and Pearl Harbor to Hilo, Hawaii, where she debarked troops 25 April. Following amphibious training, she left Pearl Harbor for San Francisco 23 May, and proceeded to Everett, Washington, for repairs. Sailing back to action via Pearl Harbor, she delivered troops and cargo to Saipan 11 July. After steaming non-stop from Saipan to San Francisco, arriving 25 July, she delivered troops to Pearl Harbor 11 August.

[@TheGuzzMon]

Fred, my dad served on this same ship when she was known as USS Queens APA-103 during WWII.

[@fssdvvcd3642]

GuzzMon /

[@robertgavlick2412]

veteran of a ship

[@TheseGuys99]

Legend has it, the ships still sinking

[@Chris-vu1kh]

I always feel sad to see a ship sinking

[@rich_edwards79]

Chris Beard Agreed, especially when it's one with classic lines like this. She looks like a little ocean liner of the time. Still, infinitely preferable to getting beached at Alang and cut up to make into Coke cans and Kias. No-one seems to be interested in preserving old ships :(

[@khawajamahmoodmahmood8697]

Why chiris bro

[@zarra7642]

@Emil Johansson hehe

[@wyster14]

This is a much better fate than scrapping, because she'll still be there for the future, unlike all of her other sisters and fellow transatlantic liners

[@rich_edwards79]

@@wyster14 I agree that it's better than scrapping, but still a shame that this pretty little ship couldn't have been preserved somehow. I found out she was originally a cargo liner called the Excambion, and there aren't very many of those (with their long decks and central superstructure) left. She was an impressive sight with all her masts and rigging in place.

[@tedbaker8291]

Some additional "subtitles" would have helped. Who was the guy who got off last, into the skiff? Apparently opened some aperture(s) to commence the scuttling?

[@allalsimah6964]

Je serai curieux de savoir quelle position il a sous l eau

[@caseywagner8656]

What idiot would want to sink this magnificent classic ship she should have been restored as a museum and hotel like the Queen Mary she is one of the last classic liners and should have been saved

[@nitetrane98]

Who should pay for the restoration?

[@wyster14]

Even Queen Mary is suffering horribly. She's about to pass the point of no return, because the neglect is so bad

[@rich_edwards79]

I agree. I'm not against the idea of artificial reefs but I wish we'd preserved more old ocean liners before they were pretty much all gone. Sink some of the modern slab-sided floating mall monstrosities instead!

[@MrVolvobloke]

Ironically the classic liners that still exist ARE the ones that sank.

[@LeonAllanDavis]

Next time, get a bunch of old department store clothing manikins and wire them to places in the sunken wreck... Freak out divers..."there's people down there!"

[@Heart0fGold]

Don't forget to rip up some old clothes too. When the fabric starts floating around and degrades from time, it'll look even more realistic and haunting!

[@LeonAllanDavis]

@@Heart0fGold Fabric degrades pretty quickly is salt water. Maybe synthetics might hold up. The ultimate prank would be to sink a school bus with 40 little kid manikins... for extra points, make 'em black. "East Maga Public Schools" on the side. The media would be running around in circles with their hair on fire... Maxine Waters would have a stroke...

[@LeonAllanDavis]

@Ian from FNQ Not nearly as bad as yours. Your president just got assassinated and your currency is worth 500 to the dollar. Everyone is eating barbequed rats and tree bark. Sucks to be you!

[@eddieheal3157]

Not funny.Some respect.Its not meant to be a playground

[@wyster14]

Everyone is complaining about it polluting, but it could also represent that someday, we won't use metal like this. It'll become rarely used, due to more durable or cheaper materials coming along to replace it. Imagine a world where these ships are born again, with more sustainable and eco-friendly materials and methods powering them.

[@PhilJonesIII]

Please explain how it's polluting.

[@wyster14]

@@PhilJonesIII It is a metal wreck on the bottom of the ocean, so some see it as pollution

[@PhilJonesIII]

@@wyster14 They have also been shown to provide habitats for many marine species. Not pretty in the early years, I grant you but, a veritable garden of life over the decades. Those ships have to be cleaned of all toxic contaminants and there are very strict regulations concerning what can be left. It usually costs more to clean and sink than it does to scrap.

[@wyster14]

@@PhilJonesIII I know they are, which is also why I would prefer for them to sink a historical ship rather than scrap it. It preserves the ship for future generations to see, even if it's on the bottom of the ocean

[@eddieheal3157]

There's always one

[@bazza945]

No whistle/horn salutes.

[@khwajamdasim7630]

Better to sell in part than to sink .

[@titan-1802]

Artificial Reef's are more cheaper than Scrapping a ship that causes more pollution.

[@kaligotlaprasad9558]

BroThis ship why are sea oldship what happened

[@user-np9wp4ml4b]

क्यो डूबा देते हैं जहाज को पानी में कोई बतायेगा

[@lylepetrov6505]

Never forget the USS LIBERTY....

[@zhiizhii1595]

I hope some the sea isnot full of sinking shep like that

[@toyman9642]

Hey Richard Cline...ditto. Your ignorance is only surpassed by your arrogance. I've dived on ships that became artificial reefs. The wide variety of marine life that call these wrecks home is amazing.

[@davidmartinsen332]

Wonder how it's sitting on bottom ?

[@dogmannz]

On its side. Like the knuckleheads who sank it. Anybody with 2 functioning brain cells would know cutting the wholes in it the way they did would only lead to it capsizing.

[@AR-cp5dz]

Here's a 10 year update: kzbin.info/www/bejne/d56qc4qfbqiinq8

[@bradschwamberger1217]

How did it land? Right side up or on her side?

[@Rav_4_Guy]

brad Schwamberger on its side with a broken keel

[@briangeeesq]

brad Schwamberger kzbin.info/www/bejne/d56qc4qfbqiinq8

[@3John-Bishop]

Can they cut holes in the back of the head and then get the same results?

[@jjburntpancake8361]

Sank like britannic

[@user-nn4xg8xw7j]

Зачем, столько металла потеряли? 🙄

[@chopjockey]

I got dizzy trying to watch this, damn camera shaking around all over the place...

[@francismichel1]

So, if I trow a beer can at the ocean I get finned. My can could be a artificial reef also

[@floppychzcake7936]

Your beer can isn't inspected by the EPA and is prepared for months on end with special permits and decontaminated several times over to ensureit is clean and safe for the enviroment. Beer cans (cans in general) have a plastic lining on the inside as well.

[@bigbranemigranel7685]

If it was that bad people probably wouldn’t be able to dive there

[@steve5825]

....and I’m putting cans in my recycling bin

[@dennisammann9104]

Lousy camera work. Too far away to show any detail as is sinks. Waste of time watching this video. That boat that got in the way would have a better view for observation. Too bad a few go pro cameras weren’t installed aboard her. 👎☹️

[@titan-1802]

Fun fact: this was 9 Years ago.

[@user-ni5ib5qs9p]

日本語翻訳が、意味不明。

[@fahmi0477]

it's like titanic ship

[@wilsongarland7893]

This is a cause of Sea Rise!

[@okxtan2648]

such a shame for sinking an old vessel...dramatic 😢

[@polinakrass2973]

На

[@user-hk9uu1xg8w]

ولا تفسدوا في الارض بعد اصلاحها

[@battlemouse1]

Obviously human's haven't trashed the ocean enough yet so we have to sink our unused ships to get rid of them. I don't want to hear the artificial reef thing either because mother nature knows how and where to make reefs if human's would stay out of the way. Also, how many new cars would the steel from this ship build? How many razor blades would it make? How many paper clips and staples would this ship have made?

[@wyster14]

How many cars, paper clips, staples, razor blades, and other metal waste would just go back into becoming pollution if it stayed?

[@bigbranemigranel7685]

It could make cars. But like you said it damages the environment also if “Mother Nature” puts reefs in the ocean then she needs to stop slacking

[@Mandy7D7]

This is fantastic for the environment. What was once an empty bare sea floor is now teaming with fish and plant life. It brings in and helps develop whole ecosystems. The ship is completely stripped of anything toxic. Even lead paint is removed. Everything drained and cleaned. It's a much better fate for both the sea and the boat to stay complete and become an apartment complex for sea life, than just another coke can. And we have an overabundance of boats sitting in shipyards or rotting away at the surface.

[@eddieheal3157]

​@@wyster14G. Cars cause a lot more pollution.Think about what your saying

[@kaligotlaprasad9558]

I don,t like

[@CosgroveNotts]

Cheaper than recycling. Murica is not great on recycling. ..

[@1gallimaufry]

It is for an artificial reef. Good for marine life. Far more beneficial than what the scrap value is worth. Maybe you should know what you are talking about before making stupid comments.

[@cliftondean4333]

The "value" of scrap does not take into consideration the environmental destruction of mining the ore, nor the higher cost (both dollars and environmental damage) of refining that ore than recycling the scrap. I have never been an activist, but was largely responsible for starting my city recycling program in the 1970s and have learned about the many savings when materials are reused and recycled.

[@wyster14]

@@cliftondean4333 They did at least completely strip down the interiors, so all that's going in is bare structure and shell

[@bossdog1480]

Oops I dropped my wallet......

[@york1181]

No point diving these vessels - nothing worth stealing (sorry, salvaging).

[@AlarakTheHighLord]

york1181 it's more for the experience and to have fun driving the wrecks

[@york1181]

operation unknown For you, maybe. But I'm not willing to spend money on equipment, travel, etc then put my life on the line for no reward. I have no interest in fun.

[@veteranheavyequipmechanic4990]

@@york1181 Soooo you're a self admitted thief and nothing more?

[@wyster14]

It could be good practice, or for photo taking, plus they're just fun to see

[@peanutdog4751]

It says a lot about you and your character when you don't wanna see something because there isn't something for you to steal

[@Nelvin78]

they just wasted thousands of dollars worth of scrap iron / metal

[@captainjackpugh6050]

Nelvin 78 To make a home for marine life

[@sirboomsalot4902]

Plus, the metals came from the Earth anyways

[@leonardodigrazia9758]

Sir Boomsalot it is more expensive and won't last forever

[@lincolnpaul1814]

Nelvin 78 no they didn’t

[@donfarmerjr3371]

No they did not. Carbon steel scrap is almost worthless, .04 per,pound. It would cost much more than that to cut it,up.

[@chriscole6668]

If the government can get rid of there garbage in the ocean it must mean I'm aloud to get rid of my garbage there too

[@kayleekiwi6405]

Chris Cole your grammar pains the government

[@briangeeesq]

Chris Cole kzbin.info/www/bejne/d56qc4qfbqiinq8

[@svuntekarlberg]

They are making artificial reefs for marine life, not dumping trash in the ocean!

[@veteranheavyequipmechanic4990]

Your garbage is as harmful to the environment as your grammar skills are to every person who has read your message. Do a little research on the decontamination process these ships undergo before they're cleared to be sunk as reefs

[@ukinnam4163]

Artificial reef is a modern way of polluting the sea's and cost cutting for the ship owners dispossing off their old Ship. but they are proud to call themselves PRO NATURE 😂😂😂

[@cliftondean4333]

AGREED.

[@miguelvazquez7957]

Artificial reefs have been proven to work. Besides, ships and other stuff that is used to create artificial reefs go through a long process of cleaning, removing all materials that can be harmful to marine life.

[@wyster14]

@@miguelvazquez7957 Plus, they help us remember what travel was before jets, because we don't get these ships anymore