After serving as a troop ship in WWII and a research vessel for Texas A&M University for 28 years, the Texas Clipper was recently scuttled to begin life as a reef.

Doug Jackson of SSCI Environmental worked closely with Paul C. Hammerschmidt, Artificial Reef Program Director for the Coastal Fisheries Division of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, on a project to prepare the Texas Clipper to be reefed off of the south Texas coast for recreational dive use. The Texas Clipper served as a training and research vessel for Texas A&M University for 28 years (1965 to 1993, longer than most ships are designed to last). The Clipper was launched as the troopship Queens in 1944. It was rebuilt and renamed the Excambrion's in 1948. The Aggies restored her from the mothball fleet in 1965 to be refitted, and gave it a coat of the school's maroon and white paint. SSCI Environmental has completed a Hazardous Materials Assessment for the Clipper, and worked with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and contractors to design and implement abatement and decontamination activities. Reefing of Texas Clipper is scheduled for late 2005. For more information contact Doug Jackson at (800) 324-7724 or visit their website at www.sscienvironmental.com.