Cruise vessel destroyed by fire will get a new life as an artificial reef in Florida

More than two years after a massive fire caused millions of dollars in damage to the Spirit of Norfolk in Virginia, the remains of the cruise vessel — which have been sitting in Colonna's Shipyard ever since — are getting new life as an artificial reef.

According to an agenda request document from the Okaloosa County Commissioners in Florida, the Spirit of Norfolk and the Skippin Sue, a vessel owned by Coleen Marine Inc, were sold for $740,000 to be used as artificial marine reefs off the shore of the Destin-Fort Walton Beach area.

The request from the tourism development department in Okaloosa County was approved.

"This vessel has nearly 40ft of relief and a 16ft mast which will provide some of the highest relief in our area," the request document said.

Both vessels will also provide scuba diving and fishing opportunities.

"As with all artificial reef deployments, these vessels provide essential habitat for numerous species of fish and a great location for divers and fishermen to visit enabling Destin-Fort Walton Beach to continue to improve its status as a premier fishing and diving destination in Florida," the document said.

The Spirit of Norfolk, once a popular passenger ship in Virginia's Hampton Roads region, was underway in the Elizabeth River for a two-hour lunch cruise on June 7, 2022 , when the captain reported a fire in the engine room.

According to the National Transportation Safety Board, the fire was too large for the sightseeing cruise crew to fight and all 108 passengers and crew had to be evacuated from the vessel. Everyone safely disembarked, but the fire wasn't fully extinguished until days later on June 11.

The NTSB reported a $5 million loss from the fire.

NTSB said that their investigation into the fire on the Spirit of Norfolk determined it was likely caused by "the ignition of combustible materials stored near the exhaust pipe of the operating port generator," according to a news release.

Since the boat was operating before 1996, it was not required to have engine-room fire detection and fixed fire-extinguishing systems.

This story was originally published by Scripps News Norfolk .