A group of professional divers are working on a plan to have newly-decommissioned Ark Royal sunk there to create potentially one of the world's biggest artificial reefs.
HMS Scylla, sunk off the coast of South East Cornwall, has been credited with attracting £35 million to £40 million to the local economy as divers flock to see her new role sheltering marine wildlife.
Professional divers Michael Byfield and James Doddrell face tough competition with their ArkRoyalReef bid and the prospect of raising several million pounds to buy the vessel – but are undaunted.
The Torbay ArkRoyalReef team were invited last month to take a "tour" of the vessel and last week went back to see her now that she has been further stripped by the Navy.
Mr Byfield, of BigBlueDive, said: "After the media stories complaining about the scrapping by a company in Turkey of HMS Invincible, we hope they will look more favourably on the ship being reused and staying in British waters.
"We are setting up a charitable trust and want to get people together for the greater good of Torbay, which is in danger of being left behind.
"Torbay's biggest resource is the sea and we do nothing to harness that. I have dived around the world and after reading official reports on the success of Scylla, which was sunk in 2004, I believe Torbay could do even better. The Ark Royal is 210 metres long and would eclipse Scylla.
"Invincible went for just under £2 million and we'd have to raise something like £3 million to £3.5 million. We can apply to the Regional Growth Fund and other funding sources, as this will create sustainable jobs in the area.
"In five years' it could make £40 million for this area, judging by the success of Scylla. We could also do joint trips to them both.
"We are talking to Natural England and the Marina Management Organisation about where it could go. In August 2012 the new Marine Conservation Zones come into place – she could be inside one of those and closer inshore. They will be no-fishing zones."
Mr Byfield believes that rather than damage marine life the carrier could enhance it, as Scylla has. "We'd love to get it ready in time for the closing ceremony of the 2012 Olympics when we could sink it, with a fireworks display, to coincide with that and get worldwide coverage," he said.
"There are so many possibilities. The tender has to be submitted by June 13. A lot of it is already in place.
"It should bring us worldwide attention as Ark Royal is the flagship of the Royal Navy and it would be the third largest artificial shipwreck reef in the world and the largest in Europe."
Source: This is Cornwall. Tuesday, May 31, 2011
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picture is HMS Ocean
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