James J Francesconi Reef Project
Donation protected
“New Shipwreck slated for Crystal Coast” JJF Reef Project to create underwater memorial
Morehead City
April 17, 2015
During the week of July 13, 2015, a 180’ former Menhaden boat will become a new underwater reef in honor of former North Carolina Reef Coordinator James J. Francesconi.
Francesconi began working with the NC Division of Marine Fisheries in 1987 and became the Reef Program Coordinator in 2000. He lost his battle with leukemia on July 18, 2014 and this memorial seeks to honor his enhancement efforts with the Reef Program, including the creation of reef sites AR-398, AR-430, AR-400, and the sinking of the USCG SPAR, Tug Titan, The Captain Greg Mickey, Tug Pawtucket, Capt. Charlie, and the USCG Falcon aircraft.
The creation of this underwater memorial has only recently been possible due to the continued efforts of the interim Reef Coordinator, Gregg Bodnar, Tim Mullane of American Marine Group, and a local group of fundraising and reef activists. Mullane has offered to provide a vessel, at cost, that will be renamed in honor of Francesconi and sunk in his memory. Thus, the JJF Reef Project was created to raise funds to purchase the “James J. Francesconi”, the renamed vessel, and to sink it in approximately 60 feet of water at offshore reef site AR-330, near the wreck of the USS Indra. This shipwreck memorial will create new fish habitat for recreational fishermen and SCUBA divers.
Creating an underwater memorial is a large financial undertaking and the JJF Reef Project is still seeking donors. A significant portion of the memorial funds have been raised through the North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles license plate program that began in 2005. The sale of North Carolina license plates with the SCUBA diver down flag has raised approximately $70,000.00 earmarked to fund the development of North Carolina’s offshore artificial reefs. If you would like to be a part of the JJF Reef Project and the maintenance of a healthy “Graveyard of the Atlantic”, you can visit http://www.GoFundMe.com/JJF-Reef-Project and follow the facebook page https://www.facebook.com/JJFReefProject.
Morehead City
April 17, 2015
During the week of July 13, 2015, a 180’ former Menhaden boat will become a new underwater reef in honor of former North Carolina Reef Coordinator James J. Francesconi.
Francesconi began working with the NC Division of Marine Fisheries in 1987 and became the Reef Program Coordinator in 2000. He lost his battle with leukemia on July 18, 2014 and this memorial seeks to honor his enhancement efforts with the Reef Program, including the creation of reef sites AR-398, AR-430, AR-400, and the sinking of the USCG SPAR, Tug Titan, The Captain Greg Mickey, Tug Pawtucket, Capt. Charlie, and the USCG Falcon aircraft.
The creation of this underwater memorial has only recently been possible due to the continued efforts of the interim Reef Coordinator, Gregg Bodnar, Tim Mullane of American Marine Group, and a local group of fundraising and reef activists. Mullane has offered to provide a vessel, at cost, that will be renamed in honor of Francesconi and sunk in his memory. Thus, the JJF Reef Project was created to raise funds to purchase the “James J. Francesconi”, the renamed vessel, and to sink it in approximately 60 feet of water at offshore reef site AR-330, near the wreck of the USS Indra. This shipwreck memorial will create new fish habitat for recreational fishermen and SCUBA divers.
Creating an underwater memorial is a large financial undertaking and the JJF Reef Project is still seeking donors. A significant portion of the memorial funds have been raised through the North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles license plate program that began in 2005. The sale of North Carolina license plates with the SCUBA diver down flag has raised approximately $70,000.00 earmarked to fund the development of North Carolina’s offshore artificial reefs. If you would like to be a part of the JJF Reef Project and the maintenance of a healthy “Graveyard of the Atlantic”, you can visit http://www.GoFundMe.com/JJF-Reef-Project and follow the facebook page https://www.facebook.com/JJFReefProject.
Organizer
Robert Purifoy
Organizer
Morehead City, NC
