Next Stop Bottom of the Sea: Old Subway Cars Become Reefs (PHOTOS)

In the "American Reclamation: Next Stop Atlantic" exhibit at the Brooklyn Public Library (June through September 25th), photographer Stephen Mallon documents the progress of the subway cars to artificial reefs.

Stephen Mallon

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NYC’s MTA joimed the artificial reef-building program off the east coast of the U.S. in 2000 -- Mallon photographer the subway cars on their destination out to sea from 2008 to 2011.

Stephen Mallon

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Mallon says, "The moment the car hits the water there’s this Titanic-esque moment when the water overtakes the car as it sinks."

Stephen Mallon

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"It’s incredibly fast—from the moment it’s picked up and thrown overboard for the fishes."

Stephen Mallon

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"The change from seeing steel lying on a barge out in the Atlantic to watching water rush in as it hits the ocean is quite dramatic."

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Stephen Mallon

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Stephen Mallon

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Next Stop Bottom of the Sea: Old Subway Cars Become Reefs (PHOTOS)

In the "American Reclamation: Next Stop Atlantic" exhibit at the Brooklyn Public Library (June through September 25th), photographer Stephen Mallon documents the progress of the subway cars to artificial reefs.

William Boot