The 180-foot long cargo freighter ‘Voici Bernadette’ was sunk as an artificial reef about 11 miles southeast of the Fort Pierce Inlet, Florida. The US Customs and Border Patrol donated the freighter to St. Lucie County, after seizing it for smuggling cocaine into Miami from Haiti.
The ship was towed to sea and sunk in 100 feet of water on Sunday, 23 June.
McCulley Marine Services, Inc. deployed two tug boats, the Regina T and the Elizabeth Anne, in the sinking of the vessel.
Crews and volunteers removed anything from the freighter which could have caused environmental damage.
Technicians added 200 tons of concrete to the cargo holds and used cutting torches to cut six large holes into the hull of the ship. Seawater was pumped aboard which took about an hour to fill.
This site was named the Curtis Bostick Artificial Reef, after a generous donation from the Coastal Conservation Association (CCA).
Post-deployment dives confirm the ship is upright and stationed at the permitted site.
Over the past 15 years, St. Lucie County has successfully deployed more than 55 artificial reefs that provide habitat to essential commercial and recreational fish species, including snapper and grouper, as well as providing critical hard-bottoms for corals and sponges to grow on.
