The next time most area media representatives get an up-close view of the Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenberg, they will be wearing fins and dive tanks rather than steel-toed boots and hard hats.

Experts will sink the ship as an artificial reef sometime between May 21 and June 1, said Andy Newman, a spokesman for the Monroe County Tourist Development Council.

Wind, weather and continued onboard preparations play the biggest role in determining when a fleet of tugboats will guide the behemoth ship out of Key West Harbor and position her six miles offshore.

The sink plan calls for the ship to be towed to its position in the morning, anchored there overnight and then scuttled the next morning, said Artificial Reefs of the Keys founder Joe Weatherby, who launched the project more than 10 years ago and faced countless obstacles.

About 30 members of the media and dive industry on Monday climbed aboard the 522-foot former military ship, peering into hatchways soon to be populated by fish, and standing on decks that next will be seen through a dive mask.

The tour was followed by a press conference, during which Weatherby detailed the tedious cleaning of the ship -- including the removal of 1 million linear feet of wire and 81 bags of asbestos.

Crews continue to prepare the ship for sinking while it is docked at Truman Waterfront. Holes are being cut in the hull to regulate the influx of water and escape of air during the sinking.

In order to ensure the ship lands upright on the ocean floor, scientists from the New Jersey-based Stevens Institute of Technology have created several models to simulate possible scenarios. The ship also came equipped with 6 million extra pounds of concrete and pig-iron ballast in the bottom of the hull, Weatherby said.

"In technical terms, we've 'weeblized' the ship," he said.

Once a team of expert clearance divers ensures all cutting charges have detonated -- they actually count the number of holes in the ship -- then Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary divers will attach seven mooring balls to the wreck, sanctuary representative Kent Edwards said.

"You can see right through the sides of the ship, it's pretty cool," Weatherby said. The ship will sit in 140 feet of water on a sandy bottom to limit the amount of silt that gathers inside. Amateur divers and, on a clear day, snorkelers will have a good view of the ship's superstructure and radar towers, which will be in 40 feet of water.

Fishing also will be permitted on the wreck, said sanctuary biologist Bill Horn.

The $8.5 million project has had its ups and downs over the past decade and was almost "sunk" several times over, said Key West City Commissioner Bill Verge, who took over as government liaison for the project about two years ago.

"I know this has been my dream, but I know it's been every one of your nightmares," Weatherby said, thanking Verge, along with Monroe County Commissioner Mario Di Gennaro and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Chairman Rodney Barreto.

"All I have to say to Bill Verge is, 'I'm sorry, man.' We've had an amazing array of ever smaller and ever more flaming hoops to jump through," Weatherby said. "I'm biased, but I think this is the finest product ever produced for scuba diving."

mbolen@keysnews.com