On Jan 5, 2011, the USS Kittiwake was scuttled off Grand Cayman; five years later, 120,800 divers and snorkelers had visited as fish, corals, and other marine life moved in

On Jan. 5, 2011, the 251-foot former U.S. Navy vessel, having spent about 17 years in naval mothballs since her decommissioning, made its way under the turquoise waters of Seven Mile Beach off the west coast of Grand Cayman. According to a 2016 Cayman Compass report, the total number stood at 120,800 (53,000 divers and 67,800 snorkelers) of those who had visited the site over the past five years to observe what happens when a decommissioned warship becomes part of a coral reef ecosystem.

Meet the USS Kittiwake