BY MANDY BOLEN
Citizen Staff
Despite last-minute cost increases and unexpected funding
shortfalls, efforts to sink the USS Hoyt S. Vandenberg
continue at a frenetic pace, with city officials and project
organizers hastening to secure another $2.3 million from a
variety of sources.
In the meantime, national and international filmmakers
and television producers are moving forward with various
plans to document the preparation, relocation and
intentional scuttling of the 523-foot-long ship as an
artificial reef.
Dan Tapster, executive producer of "Mythbusters," which
airs on the Discovery Channel, contacted the project
organizers and is planning a one-hour "Mythbusters" episode
to be shot on location in Key West.
The show, which airs in 110 countries, features two
Hollywood special effects experts who regularly test "urban
myths" using science and technology.
"The 'MYTH-TANIC' episode that will feature the scuttling
of the Vandenberg proves to be one of the biggest shows of
Series 6," Tapster wrote. "All in all this is going to be
pushed and played as a landmark MythBusters show."
The episode is set to test the theory, espoused in
Hollywood blockbusters such as "Titanic," that items and
people on the deck of a sinking ship are sucked down into a
vortex of swirling water as the ship slides beneath the
surface.
Key West City Commissioner Bill Verge, who has been
working to secure funding for the artificial reef project,
said the crew plans to place mannequins and other objects on
the decks of the massive ship for the filming.
"Apparently they already tried this, but they didn't have
a big enough ship," said Joe Weatherby, who has been working
to sink the Vandenberg for 11 years.
He acknowledged that being about $2 million over the
projected budget is "not a comfortable place to be."
"It's painful for me to say this, but we've really got a
high-profile project here and there are people kicking down
doors to do these kinds of films and documentaries,"
Weatherby said. "The [return on investment] is like nothing
else."
He estimated that shows such as "MythBusters" and several
others could translate to more than $10 million worth of
free media.
A Discovery Channel documentary also is being created by
John Bruno, who won an Oscar for his special effects in "The
Abyss."
Bruno was nominated for six other Oscars for "True Lies,"
"Ghostbusters," and "Batman Returns."
Weatherby also has a commitment from the producer of CBS
News Sunday Morning, which reaches 5 million people.
The eight-minute segment would include "an overview of
your project and the expected benefits on the stressed coral
reef system, as well as the economic benefits for the
communities along the Florida coast," wrote Jason Sacca,
producer of the show. "As far as a shooting schedule, it
makes sense to start with a tour of the Vandenberg in
Norfolk [where it is currently being cleaned of
contaminants] and shoot some video of the ship being readied
for sinking."
Internationally, a German producer wants to create a film
that explores the "ships to reefs" concept in North
Carolina, England and Key West.
"Off Key West, things get exciting," wrote producer Ulf
Marquardt in his proposal to Weatherby. "The mighty USS
Vandenberg will sink in a minute. We hope to film this event
with three cameras, from a boat, from a helicopter, and our
technicians figure out if it is feasible to mount a camera
in an underwater housing on the ship. ... It ends with the
first underwater shots of the ship, which hopefully stands
upright on the ground, ready to attract SCUBA divers from
all over the world."
It's the same finale Weatherby, Verge and Key West Mayor
Morgan McPherson are hoping for on May 15.
mbolen@keysnews.com
