New Shipwreck Park Dive Attraction to Boost Florida’s Artificial Reef System with July 23 Ship Sinking of Lady Luck off of Pompano Beach, Florida

POMPANO BEACH, Fla.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#LoveFL–A ship the length of a football field is scheduled to be sunk on July 23
just one mile from the Pompano Beach fishing pier, in the greater Fort
Lauderdale area. Complete with underwater art exhibits, it will
be one of the biggest contributions to Florida’s artificial reef
system and the most easily accessible major dive site in the nation.

The
324-foot Lady Luck, a tanker ship formerly known as Newtown Creek,
will be the centerpiece of what will become Shipwreck
Park, surrounded by 16 other existing wrecks already covered with
marine life. She will be sunk with her hull resting in the sand in about
120 feet of water with the top of her stack about 50 feet under the
surface, all within recreational diving limits. Lady Luck is expected to
draw 35-thousand divers annually.

“Large sunken ships are always a big draw for divers, but the beauty of
ours is that it is near a major airport and only one mile offshore –
just a ten minute boat ride from the Hillsboro Inlet, unlike other
wrecks that are in remote areas 40-50 miles out,” said Tommy DiGiorgio,
Jr., chair of the Pompano Beach Economic Development Council that helped
spearhead the project. “You’ll be able to dive the Lady Luck and 16
other wrecks that are right there, with much more time in the water than
travel time to get there.”

Lady
Luck was purchased from the City of New York by Shipwreck Park,
Inc., a not-for-profit organization initially funded by the City of
Pompano Beach and the Isle Casino Racing Pompano Park in a
public-private endeavor. Like many New York retirees, Lady Luck’s final
home will be here in South Florida.

The ship was towed from New York City to a facility on the Miami River
where she is being cleaned and prepped for sinking. Once prepped, Lady
Luck will be docked at Port Everglades before being towed to her final
destination and sunk off the coast of Pompano Beach.

Noted artist Dennis MacDonald was hired to create several fun and
fanciful displays in his Pompano Beach facility, including the
installation of a faux casino for the ship deck as part of the Isle
Casino sponsorship.

“Imagine the photo
ops divers will enjoy,” said Isle Casino general manager Rob Wyre.
“They will be swimming up to poker tables, card sharks and slot machines
on the ship’s deck, a cascade of gigantic dice and an octopus dealing
craps, among other artworks.”

“Our mission, starting with Lady Luck, is to preserve the reef ecosystem
by developing this underwater cultural arts park as a significant dive
attraction,” said Shipwreck Park, Inc. chairman Greg Harrison. “We think
divers worldwide will love this new artificial reef, and we expect the
popularity of Shipwreck Park to take pressure off of the natural coral
reefs nearby.”

Divers will be allowed to visit the sunken ship almost
immediately after its sinking. Interesting features of the sunken tanker
ship will be 16 staterooms, the captain’s deck, galley, engine room,
tanker holding bays and rotating underwater art exhibits.

The Shipwreck Park, Inc. is a State of Florida registered 501(c)(3)
organization (No. CH47029). The
project is accepting new sponsors contributions for ongoing
expansion of the artificial reef system with additional sunken ships and
rotating underwater art installations. There are numerous vessel
artifacts and limited edition apparel available to donors. A live
auction of the ship’s memorabilia will take place July 8 at the Marriott
in Pompano Beach. Learn more at our generosity.com campaign at www.sinktheladyluck.com.

For more information, the public can visit shipwreckparkpompano.org,
“Like” us on Facebook at facebook.com/shipwreckpark, follow us on
Twitter @shipwreckpark or call (954) 786-4607.

Contacts

The Shipwreck Park, Inc.
News Media Contact:
Elaine
Fitzgerald, 954-471-6704 (not for public use)
elaine@ourprteam.com