Following an intensive investigation, allowing and coordinated elimination effort spanning greater than three years, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Fee (FWC) efficiently oversaw the elimination of the 65-foot industrial crusing vessel Queen Anne’s Revenge — possible named after Blackbeard’s flagship — from the waters of Key Largo.
The ultimate items of the vessel had been eliminated on Oct. 6, by TSI Catastrophe Restoration, a marine restoration contractor owned and managed by Henry Elmore and Beau Tyson.
The Queen Anne’s Revenge was decided to be derelict on Aug. 3, 2021, by the FWC. The vessel had reportedly been within the Key Largo space for a number of years and in the end sank throughout Hurricane Irma. After the proprietor did not take away the vessel, the FWC initiated efforts to have it cleared from the world, which included a public bidding course of. The elimination contract was awarded to TSI Catastrophe Restoration.
Acquiring the mandatory permits was a prolonged course of. Over a two-year interval, TSI labored with the U.S. Military Corps of Engineers and the Florida Keys Nationwide Marine Sanctuary to safe all required authorizations earlier than starting bodily elimination in August 2025.
As a consequence of its development and environmental location, the Queen Anne’s Revenge offered extraordinary challenges. The vessel was constructed primarily of concrete, that includes 10- to 12-inch-thick partitions, metal mesh and 1-inch-diameter rebar all through. Its 20-foot keel part alone weighed some 24,000 kilos and was buried 9 toes deep in mud.
The hull was bolstered concrete and metal, requiring 70,000 kilos of elevate, specialised slicing tools and weeks of underwater work to take away safely and responsibly. TSI crews spent seven weeks slicing and eradicating huge concrete and metal sections — some greater than 8 inches thick. Work was paused a number of instances to guard manatees coming into the positioning and to reduce disturbance to mangroves rising across the vessel.
An osprey nest as soon as sitting atop the sunken ship was safely eliminated and reinstalled on the neighboring Gilbert’s Resort & Marina.
Derelict vessels stay a prime precedence for the FWC’s Boating and Waterways Part, which continues a multiyear statewide initiative to cut back environmental and navigational hazards brought on by deserted and deteriorating boats.
Derelict vessels injury seagrass beds, marine habitats and property, whereas posing threats to navigation and public security. Leaving a vessel in a derelict situation is against the law underneath Florida legislation.
As of October 2025, Florida has 379 derelict vessels recorded on state waters, the bottom quantity in additional than a decade.
New laws efficient July 1, 2025, strengthens vessel accountability measures and enhances protections for Florida’s waterways. Moreover, the FWC’s Vessel Flip-In Program has helped homeowners voluntarily give up over 200 vessels, stopping them from turning into derelict.
Vessel homeowners can go to FloridaVTIP.com to study extra about this system.