Anyone who wants to get close to the 522-foot Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenberg when it sinks will be disappointed.

The Navy, Coast Guard, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), Monroe County Sheriff's Office and Key West Police Department will be out in force to ensure that no boaters breach a one-mile-radius perimeter around the vessel as it goes down.

Authorities, led by the FWC, will encircle the ship with their boats during the sinking, spokesman Bobby Dube said.

The boundary will be enforced when the Vandenberg arrives at its final resting place, between Sand Key and Western Sambo, south of the Hawks Channel Marker 32. Encroaching boaters will be given a warning, Dube said. Those who repeatedly cross the line could be detained and arrested, he added.

On the Vandenberg's journey to the site, boaters will not be allowed to come within 500 yards of the ship, Dube said. Boaters who veer too close will get a warning from the Coast Guard, agency spokesman Matthew Meinhold said.

Mark Loizeaux of Controlled Demolitions Inc., who will be handling the explosive portion of the sinking, urges even more caution.

"We're encouraging people not to attend, simply because we're handling explosives," Loizeaux said. "If you feel you have to be there, we're asking that you respect law enforcement. If someone goes out there and doesn't cooperate, it's going to be unpleasant. It will delay everything."

alinhardt@keysnews.com