Thunderbolt

Thunderbolt was intentionally sunk on March 6, 1986, as part of the Florida Keys Artificial Reef Association project. She now lies intact and upright on a sand bottom in 120 feet of water 4 miles south of Marathon and Key Colony Beach.

History

Originally named Major General Wallace F. Randolph, this ship and 15 others like it were built for the U.S Army by Marietta Manufacturing Company at Point Pleasant, West Virginia. Launched on June 2, 1942, these ships were built to plant and tend defensive coastal minefields for the Army's Coast Artillery Corps. In 1949, minefield tending duties were transferred to the U. S. Navy, but Randolph was not recommissioned. It remained in the Naval Reserve Fleet, first in South Carolina and then in Florida.

Caribbean Enterprises of Miami purchased the vessel in 1961 and later Florida Power and Light Co. bought it for research on the electrical energy in lightning strikes — hence its new name, Thunderbolt. Eventually, Florida Power and Light Co. donated the vessel to the Florida Keys Artificial Reef Association.

Archaeology

Thunderbolt's hull is 189 feet long with a raised forecastle deck, which served as the cable handling area, and a cruiser stern. Prior to being sunk, the ship was stripped of all but a few major pieces of equipment. The most-prominent remaining features are a horizontal cable handling reel on the forecastle deck, at a depth of 80 feet, and the ship's superstructure, including the observation deck, at a 75-foot depth. The aft-end of the superstructure has been cut away, exposing the interior of the hull at the engineering space. Thunderbolt's rudder and propellers are interesting features to explore at a depth of 120 feet.

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