Comment Re:Capsized? (Score 2) 24
Looks like the sinking did not go as planned, and the ship will settle on its side. Probably would have been easier to control if they would have been allowed to use explosives.
Not really. What you saw was the ship taking on water and listing to the side. That has very little influence on how the ship will sink and settle to the bottom.
If you want to see an example of how thinks sink, drop a quarter into a glass bowl and watch it tumble to the bottom. It slides sideways, sometimes tumbles, and sometimes travels sideways a fair distance from where you dropped it into the water.
The main factors that determine how the ship settles on the bottom are the keel shape and the flatness of the bottom. Most of the wrecks sunk in that area are purposely put in vast sandy "deserts" where there are no other rocks or items to attract coral or fish, hence the advantage of putting artificial structures to create a place for fish to congregate and predators to feed.
I've made dives on the Duane/Bibb and Eagle in Florida's Keys and the fish population is wondrous to see. You can see some pictures and descriptions of the sunken ships in the keys here on Quartz and other sites.