Scuttling

Scuttling is the act of deliberately sinking a ship by allowing water to flow into the hull.

Monument to the Scuttled Ships by Amandus Adamson, just off the promenade at Sevastopol.

 

This can be achieved in several ways—valves or hatches can be opened to the sea, or holes may be ripped into the hull with brute force or with explosives. Scuttling may be performed to dispose of an abandoned, old, or captured vessel; to prevent the vessel from becoming a navigation hazard; as an act of self-destruction to prevent the ship from being captured by an enemy force; as a blockship to restrict navigation through a channel or within a harbor; or to provide an artificial reef for divers and marine life.