Major General Wallace F. Randolph(ship)

USAMP MP-7Major General Wallace F. Randolph,Army M 1 Mine Planter Hull No. 480. Records (#742), Special Collections Department, J. Y. Joyner Library, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, USA.
History
United States
Name	Major General Wallace F. Randolph
Namesake	Major GeneralWallace F. Randolph
Owner	Florida Keys Artificial Reef Association
Builder	Marietta Manufacturing Company
Launched	2 June 1942
Commissioned	1942
Decommissioned	1951
In service	1942
Out of service	1951
Renamed	Nausett
Stricken	1 July 1960
Fate	Intentionally sunk 6 March 1986 as anArtificial reef
General characteristics
Type	Mine Planter
Displacement	910 long tons (920 t)
Length	189 ft (58 m)
Beam	37 ft (11 m)
Draft	12 ft (3.7 m)
Speed	12 knots (22 km/h)
Complement	135

USAMPMajor General Wallace F. Randolph,sometimes also known asMG Wallace F. Randolph,was a 188.2-foot (57.4 m)mine planterbuilt by the Marietta Manufacturing Company, and delivered to theUnited States ArmyMine Planter Servicein 1942.The ship was transferred to the U.S. Navy in 1951, placed directly into the Atlantic Reserve Fleet without beingcommissionedclassed as the auxiliaryminelayerACM-15,then reclassified minelayer, auxiliary (MMA)and namedMMA-15,and finally given the nameNausettwithout any active naval service.After being stricken from theNaval Vessel Register,the ship was transferred to different owners, and eventually was scuttled off the coast of Florida as anartificial reefand fish aggregating device. The site is currently known as theThunderboltWreck,and is considered to be an excellent and challenging dive site for advanced divers.

Army history

USAMPMajor General Wallace F. Randolphwas built by Marietta Manufacturing Company inPoint Pleasant, West Virginia,and launched on 2 June 1942. She was one of 16 Army mine planters built in 1942 and 1943 for the U.S. Army Coast Artillery Corps, Mine Planter Service.This was the second Army Mine Planter to take the name of Major GeneralWallace F. Randolph,the first Chief of Artillery for the United States Army; the first being of the 1919 mine planter construction. (The firstGeneral W. P. Randolphbecame theUnited States Lighthouse ServicevesselLupine.)

Navy and civilian history

In 1949, theUnited States Navytook over all coastal mine laying operations, and theRandolphwas transferred to the Navy in March 1951, classed as aCamanche-class minelayer,a group that with one exception was neither converted from Army design nor saw active naval service,with the nameACM-15and going directly into inactive reserve where she was redesignatedMMA-15on 7 February 1955 then namedNausetton 1 May 1955.

Subsequently transferred from the Atlantic Reserve Fleet,Charleston, South Carolinato reserve atGreen Cove Springs, Floridashe was struck from theNavy Liston 1 July 1960, and was then stripped and sold to Caribbean Enterprises on 17 May 1961.She was subsequently renamed theSea Searcher,and had a role in oilfield exploration. The vessel was later purchased byFlorida Power & Lightas a platform for lightning strike research. Researchers fired rockets trailing conductive wires into thunderclouds to trigger lightning strikes, which were then analyzed by instruments carried on the ship's deck. As many as 17 lightning strikes were captured on a single day in August 1966.During this period, she was re-christenedThunderbolt,because of the many hits she took.

Thunderboltwreck

Eventually,Thunderboltwas donated to the Florida Keys Artificial Reef Association, and the vessel was scuttled 4 nautical miles (7.4 km) south ofMarathon, FloridaandKey Colony Beach, Floridaon 6 March 1986.The wreck sits on a flat sandy bottom 120 feet (37 m) below the surface of the water, nearly completely intact. The condition of the wreck and the abundance of marine life in and around the wreck make it an excellent dive site. The main superstructure was cleared of most entanglement hazard prior to sinking, so she provides ample opportunity for penetration. Her lower decks are largely clear of debris, although they can be very silty, and the many openings and exits in the deck provide easy entry and exit points.

Coral growth on theThunderboltis extensive, although less than similar wrecks like theUSCGCBibbandUSCGCDuane.Bait fish, barracuda, mackerel, snapper, permit, pompano, jacks, and resident goliath grouper, are often seen on the wreck, as well as the occasional black grouper and reef sharks. The area around the ship is mostly barren sand with occasional conch and hogfish. The anchor chain extends westerly, on the port side, outward on the sandy bottom, towards several rubble piles made up of concrete pilings and steel plates. The wreck has no surface markers. Instead, two floats are attached by steel cables to the bow and stern of wreck, respectively, and extend to within 25 feet of the surface. Local dive shops periodically service these underwater makers which are visible from the surface.

Current can become considerable on theThunderbolt,which coupled with its depth, makes it an advanced dive. Most divers on theThunderboltopt to use an Enriched Air (32% O₂) mixture because of the significant increase in bottom time and shorter surface intervals, especially for repetitive dives.

See also

• TheThunderbolt,Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Photos & diagrams in tabs)
• List of ships of the United States Army