AP - Fleet ship ordered sold at auction

Fleet ship ordered sold at auction

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) _ A federal judge in Norfolk has ordered the sale of a former James River Reserve Fleet ship after a contractor failed to pay for the clean up of the vessel.

The planned sale of the Vandenberg jeopardizes a plan by the city of Key West, Florida, to sink the ship as an artificial reef.

The city could lose ownership of the former Air Force missile range ship because of more than $1.6 million in unpaid bills owed to Colonna's Shipyard in Norfolk. Other subcontractors say they haven't been paid either.

Officials with the Key West project say they're confident the money owed to the shipyard would be raised, making the sale unnecessary.

Shipyard representatives say the ship is expected to be auctioned in mid-December