The Front Room Gallery is Proud to present “The Reefing of USS Radford.” Stephen Mallon’s 3rd solo exhibition at The Front Room, this body of work is a continuation of his ongoing series “American Reclamation,”which chronicles and examines recycling processes in the U.S. This series holds optimism in the innovation of salvaging techniques, showing the possible gains that can be made as industrial waste is revivified.

In the summer of 2010, American Marine Group (AMG) assumed responsibility of sinking the longest vessel ever reefed in the the Atlantic Ocean to date. 135 feet deep, and 28.5 nautical miles southeast of Cape May.

563-feet in length, the USS Arthur W. Radford has nobly served her country for over 26 years as a US. Navy Spruance destroyer. Her impressive military background includes 10 deployments ranging from Venezuela, Panama, Argentina, Brazil, Senegal, Oman, Bahrain, the Azores, Nova Scotia, Italy and Turkey. Campaigns from Persian Gulf War, peace keeping operations off Lebanese coast, and finally retiring from her latest tour to battle in Operation Enduring Freedom makes her as decorated a hero as any Naval Admiral.

This ship, once home to over 340 sailors at a single time, was given it’s last mission; to retire and become an underwater eco system to house algae, fish, anglers, and other under water life alike. Creating an underwater community not only for fish, but for divers as well.

Stephen Mallon’s new series charts the final stages of this glorious vessel’s life and the destructive beauty of preparing it for reefing.