HAZAR Ship Sunk Off South Carolina Coast to Create Artificial Reef
The decommissioned Navy vessel HAZAR was sunk off the coast of South Carolina on December 7, 2025, after being retrieved and dismantled. The 120-foot torpedo retriever, originally based in Rhode Island, spent four years in Bohicket Creek following its 2019 retirement.
Its journey to Charleston ended with it being deemed a nuisance. Recovery efforts began on August 19, 2025, with crews from Stevens Towing, the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR), and the Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) working to dismantle the ship.
Once stripped of usable parts, the ship was prepared for its new role as an artificial reef. On December 8, the scuttling commenced, with HAZAR taking on water and sinking to the ocean floor, now part of artificial reef Y-23, approximately 30 miles offshore.
