Cape Fear College Donates Research Vessel for Reef

The former training ship will be sunk to form part of an artificial reef off the North Carolina coast.

Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Aquariums

Underwater view of a weathered steel ship hull resting on a sandy seabed in shallow green-blue Atlantic water, encrusted with marine growth. — Cape Fear Community College has donated its former training ship, the R/V Cape Hatteras, to North Carolina's Artificial Reef Program for sinking off the coast in spring 2027. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Cape Fear Community College has donated the R/V Cape Hatteras to the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries' Artificial Reef Program. The vessel is being prepared for sinking in South Carolina and is planned to join artificial reef AR-386 in spring 2027.

Why it matters

The donation repurposes a decommissioned college training vessel into marine habitat for North Carolina's coastal fisheries. Artificial reefs like AR-386 provide structure that supports fish and other marine life.

The R/V Cape Hatteras was built in 1981 and bought by Cape Fear Community College in 2013. Reef AR-386 lies about 18 miles from Masonboro Inlet in 80 feet of water, and the sinking timeline remains subject to preparation work.

The players

Cape Fear Community College

A public community college in Wilmington, North Carolina, which operated the Cape Hatteras for student training before donating it.

N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries

The North Carolina state agency that manages coastal fisheries and runs the Artificial Reef Program that receives the vessel.

The details

Crews are removing engines, equipment and hazardous materials from the vessel while it sits in South Carolina. Once prepared, the ship is planned to be sunk onto AR-386, a reef that already includes several wrecks.

1981: The R/V Cape Hatteras is built.
2013: Cape Fear Community College purchases the ship.
Spring 2027: The vessel is planned to join reef AR-386.

Season Trajectory

The Artificial Reef Program has long used decommissioned vessels to build reef habitat along the North Carolina coast. This donation extends that practice by placing a former college training ship on an existing reef.

Anglers and divers in North Carolina may find new structure on AR-386 once the vessel is sunk. The reef will create habitat for fish that coastal recreational fishing depends on.

The takeaway

Repurposing retired vessels as reef habitat turns obsolete equipment into lasting marine structure. Readers interested in coastal ecosystems can follow how the state manages these reefs.