Indiana University is currently partnered with the Grupo Puntacana to create a regional network of Living Museums in the Sea near Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. IU researchers are currently working on an underwater shipwreck park known as the Coliseum and the former US Navy vessel Enriquillo (aka USS Stallion).
The Enriquillo was built as ATA-193 in 1944. ATA-193 was in service at the Battle of Okinawa in 1945, before being decommissioned in Orange Texas in September 1946. In July 1948, the ATA-193 was renamed the USS Stallion and remained decommissioned until 1949, when she was assigned to Hydrographic Survey in the Persian Gulf.
The USS Stallion saw service throughout the Mediterranean and Persian Gulf until 1952, when she returned to Norfolk, Virginia. The Stallion operated in the United States for the Naval Ordnance Laboratory until 1969 when the ship was decomissioned and eventually transfered to the Dominican Republic in 1970 under the Security Assistance Program. The Dominican Navy renamed the Stallion to the Enriquillo (RM-22). The ship was named after a famous Taino cacique who rebelled against the Spanish in the early 16th century. The Enriquillo was retired by the Dominican Navy in 2006 and sunk as an artificial reef, where it now sits in about 60 feet of water.
One of the most popular dive sites near Punta Cana, the Coliseum is an active coral restoration site that was enhanced with 18th century shipwreck artifacts. This Living Museum in the Sea includes a mock ballast pile with authentic 18th century cannons, anchors, ceramics, and galley bricks. The museum was established in June 2019.
