Built in 1984 as a Russian missile frigate, destroyer 356 was assigned to the Caribbean as part of the Soviet Union’s Atlantic Fleet. It operated out of Cuba for years, before being retired. In the spring of 1998, the aging warship was purchased by the Cayman Islands Government and then towed from Cuba to Cayman Brac to be sunk as an artificial reef.
This project was spearheaded by the Honorable Thomas Jefferson, Minister of Tourism for the Cayman Islands. Working closely with the Watersports Association and the Sister Islands Tourism Association, the warship was cleaned and carefully sunk in a location where it could be enjoyed by scuba divers and snorkelers alike. The shipwreck was renamed the MV Captain Keith Tibbetts, in honor of one of the Brac’s most beloved pioneers.
The great warship settled upright on a white-sand bottom close to East Chute, one of the Brac’s best drop-offs. She is pointed toward the open sea and there is a vertical wall some 200 feet off the bow.
This project was spearheaded by the Honorable Thomas Jefferson, Minister of Tourism for the Cayman Islands. Working closely with the Watersports Association and the Sister Islands Tourism Association, the warship was cleaned and carefully sunk in a location where it could be enjoyed by scuba divers and snorkelers alike. The shipwreck was renamed the MV Captain Keith Tibbetts, in honor of one of the Brac’s most beloved pioneers.
The great warship settled upright on a white-sand bottom close to East Chute, one of the Brac’s best drop-offs. She is pointed toward the open sea and there is a vertical wall some 200 feet off the bow.