Major General Wallace F . Randolph ( ship ) USAMP " Major General Wallace F . Randolph , sometimes also known as MG Wallace F . Randolph , was a mine planter built by the Marietta Manufacturing Company , and delivered to the United States Army Mine Planter Service in 1942 . The ship was transferred to the U . S . Navy in 1951 , placed directly into the Atlantic Reserve Fleet without being commissioned classed as the Auxiliary Mine Layer ACM - 15 , then reclassified Minelayer , Auxiliary ( MMA ) and named MMA - 15 and finally given the name Nausett without any active Naval service . After being stricken from the Navy Register the ship was transferred to different owners , and eventually was scuttled off the coast of Florida as an artificial reef and fish aggregating device . The site is currently known as the Thunderbolt " Wreck , and is considered to be an excellent and challenging dive site for advanced divers . Army history . USAMP " Major General Wallace F . Randolph " was built by Marietta Manufacturing Company in Point Pleasant , West Virginia , and launched on 2 June 1942 . She was one of 16 Army mine planters built in 1942 and 1943 for the U . S . Army Coast Artillery Corps , Mine Planter Service . This was the second Army Mine Planter to take the name , the first being of the 1919 mine planter construction . The first " General W . P . Randolph " became the U . S . Lighthouse Service vessel " Lupine " . Navy and civilian history . In 1949 , the US Navy took over all coastal mine laying operations , and the " Randolph " was transferred to the Navy in March 1951classed as a , a group that with one exception was neither converted from Army design nor saw active naval service , with the name " ACM - 15 " and going directly into inactive reserve where she was redesignated " MMA - 15 " on 7 February 1955 then named " Nausett " on 1 May 1955 . Subsequently transferred from the Atlantic Reserve Fleet , Charleston , South Carolina to reserve at Green Cove Springs , Florida she was struck from the Navy List on 1 July 1960 , and was then stripped and sold to Caribbean Enterprises on 17 May 1961 . She was subsequently renamed the " Sea Searcher " , and had a role in oilfield exploration . The vessel was later purchased by Florida Power & Light as a platform for lightning strike research . Researchers fired rockets trailing conductive wires into thunderclouds to trigger lightning strikes , which were then analyzed by instruments carried on the ship ' s deck . As many as 17 lightning strikes were captured on a single day in August 1966 . During this period , she was re - christened " Thunderbolt " , because of the many hits she took . " Thunderbolt " wreck . Eventually , " Thunderbolt " was donated to the Florida Keys Artificial Reef Association , and the vessel was scuttled south of Marathon , Florida and Key Colony Beach , Florida on 6 March 1986 . The wreck sits on a flat sandy bottom below the surface of the water , nearly completely intact . The condition of the wreck and the abundance of marine life in and around the wreck make it an excellent dive site . The main superstructure was cleared of most entanglement hazard prior to sinking , so she provides ample opportunity for penetration . Her lower decks are largely clear of debris , although they can be very silty , and the many openings and exits in the deck provide easy entry and exit points . Coral growth on the " Thunderbolt " is extensive , although less than similar wrecks like the and . Bait fish , barracuda , mackerel , snapper , permit , pompano , jacks , and resident goliath grouper , are often seen on the wreck , as well as the occasional black grouper and reef sharks . The area around the ship is mostly barren sand with occasional conch and hogfish . The anchor chain extends westerly , on the port side , outward on the sandy bottom , towards several rubble piles made up of concrete pilings and steel plates . The wreck has no surface markers . Instead , two floats are attached by steel cables to the bow and stern of wreck , respectively , and extend to within 25 feet of the surface . Local dive shops periodically service these underwater makers which are visible from the surface . Current can become considerable on the " Thunderbolt " , which coupled with its depth , makes it an advanced dive . Most divers on the " Thunderbolt " opt to use an Enriched Air ( 32 % O ) mixture because of the significant increase in bottom time and shorter surface intervals , especially for repetitive dives . References .