Crane crews unloaded four huge anchors and their accompanying chain from four trucks Monday morning at Truman Waterfront.

The anchors, weighing about 8 tons each, represent the first physical evidence of the 522-foot Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenberg, which is to be scuttled as an artificial reef off Key West.

"The ship is soon to follow," said Key West City Commissioner Bill Verge, who has taken over organizational efforts to sink the ship in local waters.

The reef project, in the works for more than a decade, has been beleaguered by funding problems and regulatory delays. But the sink team remains optimistic as the yet-unscheduled sink date nears.

The World War II-era ship remains in Norfolk awaiting a clear-weather window for its seven-day voyage to Key West. Verge said it has been thoroughly cleaned, and all hazardous materials have been removed so as not to end up in Key West waters.

The Vandenberg will be towed down the East Coast, and the National Weather Service office in Key West has agreed to provide daily updates on its whereabouts and weather conditions surrounding the ship, which is expected to become the second-largest artificial reef in the world. The position and weather information will be available on local television channels and on the city's Web site, Verge said.

The USS Oriskany aircraft carrier, at 888 feet, is the largest artificial reef. It was successfully sunk off Pensacola in May 2006, according to the ship's Web site.

The Spiegel Grove was sunk off Key Largo in 2002 and is 510 feet long.

Frank Toppino, owner of Toppino & Sons construction company, donated his crane for the Monday off-loading of the massive World War II-era anchors, which are stamped with the year 1944.

The anchors will keep the massive ship in place at the surface just prior to its scuttling, and then will remain attached to the Vandenberg for added stability once the ship is settled on the bottom, Verge said.

Although there is no firm sink date, the Vandenberg must be settled in its final resting place on the ocean floor by the beginning of hurricane season on June 1.

For more information about the artificial reef project, visit http://www.bigshipwrecks.com.

mbolen@keysnews.com