Great Carrier Reef
(Juvenile Book)

Off the coast of Florida, 200 feet beneath the waves, a massive aircraft carrier lies on the bottom of the ocean floor. Once an unsinkable ship, the Mighty O is now an underwater city teeming with marine life. How did it get there? After 25 years of service in the Navy, the ship took on a new mission as an artificial reef. This exquisitely illustrated picture book documents the Mighty O's transformation as it was prepped and reefed by a team of more than 150 scientists, engineers, and technicians: first gutted, cleaned, and stripped down to a steel shell, and then carefully, carefully, carefully rigged with explosives to help it descend to its final resting place. Artificial reefs are a crucial tool in the fight against overfishing, pollution, and warming water temperatures. Extensive back matters provides additional information about the Mighty O's history, the diseases eating away at the world's natural reef systems, and the role artificial reefs play under the sea.