The 38.5-metre Palmer Johnson yacht Time has been scuttled in Florida, close to the Fort Pierce Sportfishing Club, in a bid to turn the abandoned aluminum hull into an artificial reef. The remains of the yacht now sit in roughly 50 metres of water and have had "concrete reef modules attached to it" to promote coral growth, according to reporting by media outlet TC Palm.
The scuttling initiative is a joint collaboration between Marine Cleanup Initiative Inc (MCI), St Lucie County artificial reef programme and McCulley Marine Services Inc. The hull was donated by the Martin County Anglers Club of Martin County to the St. Lucie County artificial reef programme in August 2022 after sitting unused on land for 17 years.
"Time has undergone meticulous decommissioning by McCulley Marine Services, under the oversight of MCI, to meet Environmental Protection Agency standards," explained a representative from the MCI.
In a separate statement, MCI added: "Two hundred and sixty-four [tonnes] of stainless aluminium is expected to attract spores of Oculina varicosa. If theories prove correct, in 50 years she'll be graced with Oculina varicosa outside of the Oculina Banks."
In the year of her launch in 1987, Time was the largest aluminium yacht afloat. Exterior design and naval architecture was by Tom Fexas and she featured two Detroit Diesel diesel engines delivering a top speed of 31 knots.