P-3 Orion as a new dive site.

But with Bermuda about to take over its own Airport for the first time, an aeroplane in 60 feet of water would send the wrong message to visitors, Premier the Hon. Sir John Swan said yesterday.

"We don't want a symbol out there,'' the Premier told The Royal Gazette .

"When that water is clear, that plane is going to show up. "People would associate it with planes that just didn't make it. Explain that to a tourist.'' Sir John said that Government has not given a final "no'' to the offer. But "it's something that we as a team have not been convinced would be good for Bermuda''.

As well as environmental concerns, there were fears that a diver could lose a mask or get stuck inside the aircraft, he said.

Meanwhile, Base commanding officer Capt. Tim Bryan said he has opted to turn the P-3 over to the Airport's crash, fire and rescue team for training, instead.

And he dismissed Government's prime concern as "laughable''.

"Were aircraft so visible in the ocean, billions of dollars could have been saved by simply looking out of windows for Soviet submarines throughout the Cold War,'' he said. "You can't see an aeroplane in 60 feet of water, even if you're flying right over top of it.

"The ocean is not transparent.'' The 1950s vintage P-3 is displayed at the Base entrance as a symbol of Kindley Field's former role in anti-submarine warfare, for which the P-3 is known.

Capt. Bryan said he wanted to donate the plane as a parting gesture and lasting symbol of the role of the Base. Talks with Government began in the spring to have the plane anchored in a suitable underwater spot. The Navy wanted to sink the plane during the summer, when personnel who could do the work were visiting the Base.

"Given that we were unable to obtain Government sponsorship of our plan during that window of opportunity, I've decided to turn it over to crash, fire and recue (personnel) for their training purposes,'' Capt. Bryan told The Royal Gazette .

Mr. Michael Burke, a partner in Blue Water Divers Co. Ltd., said he and other P-3 Orion turned down anchored in about 55 feet of water five miles northwest of Dockyard. It would first be purged of oil and all other fuels so it would not harm the environment.

The proposal was approved in principle by a committee of the National Trust and the Marine Environmental Board, but final Government approval never came, he said.

"I was quite surprised when it came to this stumbling block,'' Mr. Burke said.

Not only would a new dive site be attractive to local divers and visitors, but it would take pressure off existing dive sites like the Constellation and the coral reef, he said.

The thought of the display plane going up in flames is "depressing'', he added.

Mr. Michael Peers, manager of Fantasea Diving, said concerns about seeing the plane from the air are "the craziest thing I've ever heard''.

"That's like saying nobody would want to go on a cruise, because of all the ships that are sunk here.'' "Artificial reefs'' promote coral growth and attract sea animals, he said.

And visitors who dive like to be able to hear a story about what they are diving around, like how the P-3 was once used to hunt Soviet submarines.

"It could be such a positive thing for tourism,'' said Fantasea owner Mr.

Michael Heslop. "We're not giving up.'' GIFT HORSE -- The US Navy has offered this P-3 Orion to Bermuda as an underwater dive site. But Premier the Hon. John Swan worries its watery grave will frighten visitors coming to the Island by air.