A trend of sinking warships for diving attractions is starting to emerge, with the most recent seeing the former command ship of the Yugoslavian Navy sunk just off the coast of Croatia.

The sinking follows on from December, when an old navy patrol boat in Mexico was deliberately sunk to create an underwater park for divers in the area to explore.

The 85m-long (279ft) ‘Vis’ W-class destroyer ship, built in 1956 for hundreds of millions of dollars, was sunk 250m (820ft) from the coastline near Polje Bay at a depth of 32m (105ft).

“It took us five years from the initial idea to implementation and Vis will now serve as an example to many in Dalmatia to do the same”, said the ship’s owner Arsen Brajkovic, who had planned on turning the decommissioned vessel into a luxury yacht before opting for the wreck.

Diving expeditions will start in the coming months with the venture expected to bring millions in revenue to the local area.