
New York subway cars are the last thing you'd expect to come across in the vast, harsh expanse of the Atlantic Ocean.

But along the coast - from Delaware to South Carolina - a subsea network of these colossal vehicles has become home to millions of fish.

Now, photographer Stephen Mallon has captured the transformation of ordinary subway cars into exotic artificial reefs in a series of stunning images.

Along the coast, from Delaware to South Carolina, a subsea network of these colossal vehicles have become home to millions of tiny fish

'Seeing these massive mechanisms being tossed into the ocean like a toy in the bathtub is a ping in my heart,' Mr Mallon writes.

'At first I was stunned, the moments of violent recycling, watching the water quickly adapt to its new underwater houses.

'After being pushed and stacked like a sardine in these subways cars over the past decade, it is nice to see the sardine actually getting one of these as its new steel condo.'

The 'Next Stop Atlantic' project saw Mr Callon capture four 'drops' and two 'load-ups' over a period of three years.

Photographer Stephen Mallon has been able to capture the process of transforming the city's subway cars into artificial coral reefs

'Seeing these massive mechanisms being tossed into the ocean like a toy in the bathtub is a ping in my heart,' Mr Mallon said

'At first I was stunned, the moments of violent recycling, watching the water quickly adapt to its new underwater houses,' he added

The images show the cars being dumped into the ocean using a hydraulic lift (left) like huge anchors, churning waves in their wake

The 'Next Stop Atlantic' project saw the New York photographer capture four 'drops' and two 'load-ups' in a project spanning three years.

CAN CORAL REEFS HEAL? A coral reef in Northern Australia severely damaged by warming seas has managed to completely heal itself in just 12 years, stunned researchers have found. The research in 2013 showed that an isolated reef off the northwest coast of Australia that was severely damaged by a period of warming in 1998. It was hit by coral bleaching, caused by higher water temperatures that break down the coral's symbiotic relationship with algae that provide food for coral growth. However, the team found Scott reef has regenerated in a very short time to become nearly as healthy as it was before. The discovery raises hope that other damaged reefs could 'regenerate' Advertisement

The 18-ton stainless steel cars - minus wheels, windows and doors - are stacked two-high on a barge where a bucket crane with a specially designed hydraulic lift picks them up one by one.

The images show the cars being dumped into the ocean like huge anchors. While it may appear like an act of pollution, it is in fact the opposite.

After four decades carrying millions of New Yorkers, these subway cars are now home to millions of sea life.

'The Metropolitan Transit Authority's recycling program has been involved for the past decade, retiring over 2500 subways cars to the ocean to help rebuild underwater reefs along the eastern seabed,' the New York photographer explains.

'These are my images, seconds before these mass transit vessels join history in building homes for life under the sea.'

The reefs attract fish because they provide protection from predators, and generate food like mussels, shrimp and crabs that quickly colonise the structure.

About 95 per cent of the seabed off the U.S. mid-Atlantic coast is naturally bare sand, which is much less likely to attract fish.

Officials hope the new reefs will become home to such inshore species as black sea bass, tautog and summer flounder. These in turn should attract game like marlin, tuna and dolphin.

Overall, corals are estimated to generate $200 million (£131 million) annually in the U.S.

Mr Mallon's images will be on display at New York University's Kimmel Galleries from February 6th to March 15, 2015.

The Metropolitan Transit Authority's recycling program has been going for the past decade, retiring over 2500 subways cars to the ocean

'These are my images, seconds before these mass transit vessels join history in building homes for life under the sea,' said Mr Mallon

After four decades carrying millions of New Yorkers, these subway cars are now home to millions of sea life, and act as artificial coral reefs

The cars attract fish because they provide protection from predators, and generate food like mussels and crabs that colonise the structure

The moment one of the cars gets dumped (left) Officials hope the new reefs created by the cars will become home to such inshore species as black sea bass, tautog and summer flounder. The cars were dumped on a stretch of coast from Delaware to South Carolina (right)

Overall, corals are estimated to generate $200 million (£131 million) annually in the U.S. This figure could increase in the future if schemes such as this one are successful. Pictured is a subway car being dropped into the ocean

About 95 per cent of the seabed off the U.S. mid-Atlantic coast is naturally bare sand, which is much less likely to attract fish. These subway cars are expected to act as a home for them, now that they have come to the end of their useful life in New York

'After being pushed and stacked like a sardine in these subways cars over the past decade, it is nice to see the sardine actually getting one of these as its new steel condo,' said Mr Mallon

This image, along with others in the project American Reclamation, will be on display at New York University's Kimmel Galleries