Posted by shark-92107 on February 28, 2002 at 16:05:06:
(info forwarded from elsewhere)
The San Diego Oceans Foundation has been working with the City of San Diego and the U.S. Navy Salvage Dive unit scheduling and planning a Navy exercise on the Yukon. The plan has finally been approved by all the bureaucracy and will begin soon.
The plan is for the Navy divers to cut holes in the starboard side that did not get blown out during sinking - this will open up the forward magazine, and the engine room to direct access (three holes in all). The steel cutouts will then be removed from the ship and scrapped onshore. After that is completed they will be doing some underwater engineering practice - specifically formulating a plan to figure out what it would take to right the ship with greatest efficiency. This plan may be used at a later date for another Navy exercise - putting her on her keel as was originally intended. Putting it on its keel will allow the currents to flush the ship of the silt buildup that is beginning to occur in the lower decks.
Because the military is still in threat condition Bravo, there will be no access to the Yukon while this work is going on. Visibility is going to be dismal anyhow with a herd of hardhat divers swinging cutting torches around. The date of all this work will be a two week period starting Monday March 4th to Friday March 8, then from Monday March 11th to Friday March 15th. They may be finished sooner, but slated the full two weeks anyway.
Apparently, the ship will be open to divers during the weekend if you want to check out progress. The dive boat operators have been notified of the situation, and there will be a notice to mariners issued by the Coast Guard.