USS Spiegel Grove ( LSD - 32 ) USS " Spiegel Grove " ( LSD - 32 ) was a of the United States Navy . She was named for Spiegel Grove , the home and estate in Fremont , Ohio , of Rutherford B . Hayes , the 19th President of the United States . Career . " Spiegel Grove " was laid down on 7 September 1954 by the Ingalls Shipbuilding Corp . , Pascagoula , Miss . , launched on 10 November 1955 ; sponsored by Mrs . Webb C . Hayes , and commissioned on 8 June 1956 , Captain S . Filippone in command . " Spiegel Grove " sailed for Hampton Roads and arrived at Norfolk , Virginia , on 7 July . She headed for the Guantanamo Bay area on her shakedown cruise on 26 July and returned on 15 September . The ship was in the yard during October ; and , in November , she participated in amphibious exercises off Onslow Beach , North Carolina . On 9 January 1957 , " Spiegel Grove " , with other ships of Transport Amphibious Squadron 4 ( TransPhibRon 4 ) , sailed from Morehead City , North Carolina , with elements of the 6th Marines embarked , for a tour with the 6th Fleet in the Mediterranean . She returned to Norfolk on 3 June and operated along the east coast for the remainder of the year . In November , she transported 364 Army troops to Labrador . In January 1958 , the LSD was deployed with her squadron to the 6th Fleet on an extended tour which did not end until 6 October . On 22 October , " Spiegel Grove " was assigned to PhibRon 10 , the new Fast Squadron . The years 1959 and 1960 saw the LSD participating in numerous operations along the east coast and in the Caribbean . " Spiegel Grove " stood out of Norfolk in April 1961 with Task Force 88 ( TF 88 ) for " Solant Amity II " , a good - will tour to the African coast . The force carried tons of medical supplies , food and disaster supplies , toys , books , and seed . During the four - month cruise , the ships visited Gambia , Durban , the Malagasy Republic , the Seychelles Islands , Zanzibar , Kenya , the Union of South Africa , Togo , and Gabon before returning home on 8 September . She then entered Horne Brothers Shipyard , Newport News , Virginia , for an overhaul that was not completed until early January 1962 . " Spiegel Grove " conducted refresher training and then spent March and April in amphibious exercises in the Caribbean . In May , she took part in operations supporting Malcolm Scott Carpenter ' s manned space flight in Mercury - Atlas 7 . In July and August , she returned to the Caribbean for " Phibulex 2 - 62 " . On 1 December 1962 a tender availability period was begun to prepare the ship for " Solant Amity IV " . The LSD loaded supplies during January 1963 and sailed , on 15 February for her second good - will tour which lasted until late May . The ship steamed over 21 , 000 miles ( 39 , 000 km ) and visited nine countries before returning home . " Spiegel Grove " next deployed to the Caribbean from July to September with PhibRon 8 . The landing ship has spent the greater part of her active service participating in amphibious exercises along the eastern seaboard and in the Caribbean . " Spiegel Grove " was deployed to the 6th Fleet from January to June 1964 , 3 November 1966 to 11 May 1967 ; and from 17 April to 9 October 1971 . She participated in " Operation Steel Pike I " off Spain in October 1964 and made a midshipman cruise to England and Denmark in 1970 . In 1983 , she won the Marjorie Sterrett Battleship Fund Award for the Atlantic Fleet . Post - commission career . " Spiegel Grove " was decommissioned 2 October 1989 and her name struck from the Navy list on 13 December 1989 . The vessel was transferred to the Maritime Administration in the James River fleet . In 1998 , title passed to the state of Florida , with the plan of sinking the hull to make an artificial reef off Key Largo . To achieve this , the EPA had to increase the acceptable amount of PCB ( a toxic chemical substance ) remaining in future wrecks from 2 ppm to 50 ppm . Sinking for reef . Red tape and financial problems delayed the sinking of USS " Spiegel Grove " for several years , but the ship was finally moved from Virginia to Florida in May 2002 . The ship sank prematurely , on 17 May 2002 . During the sinking the ex - " Spiegel Grove " suddenly started rolling on her starboard side , ending up upside down on the sea bottom and leaving her bow protruding slightly out of the ocean . On 10 – 11 June , at a cost of $ 250 , 000 dollars , the ship was rolled onto her starboard side by Resolve Marine Group , and on 26 June the site was opened to recreational divers . In the next week , over a thousand divers visited the site . The depth of wreck requires that divers have an advanced diving certification . The ex - " Spiegel Grove " is located on Dixie Shoal , 6 miles ( 10 km ) off the Florida Keys in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary . Her exact location is . In July 2005 , Hurricane Dennis shifted the former USS " Spiegel Grove " onto her keel , right - side - up , which was the position originally intended when she was sunk . Deaths . In April 2003 , 48 - year - old Eunice Lasala , of Fredericksburg , Virginia , died while diving the " Spiegel Grove " . On 20 April 2005 , Tarik Khair - el - din , 44 of Indiatlantic , Florida , died while diving the " Spiegel Grove " . In February 2006 , David Hargis , 48 , of Kansas City , died while diving the " Spiegel Grove " . On 16 March 2007 three divers ( Kevin Coughlin , 51 ; Jonathan Walsweer , 38 ; and Scott Stanley , 55 – all from New Jersey ) died while attempting a penetration dive inside the remains of the " Spiegel Grove " . On October 17 , 2013 , Captain Joseph Dragojevich , 43 , of Lake County Emergency Medical Services ( Florida ) went missing while diving the wreck and was found the following day by rescue teams . This brings the total number of diver fatalities at the wreck to seven .