Voici Bernadette Deployment

The Voici Bernadette was scuttled on June 23, 2019, at a water depth of 100 feet to become St. Lucie County’s newest artificial reef. The vessel had been seized by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection after it was found running drugs. The government arranged to transfer it to St. Lucie County in June 2018 so it could be stripped and cleaned before being sunk. She will serve as a new dive site for recreational divers. The top of the ship sits at a 60-foot depth. The freighter was expected to quickly become new habitat for a variety of fish and marine life.

Wheelhouse coordinates — Longitude 80*02.985' and Latitude 27*23.870'

Bow coordinates — Longitude 80*02.970' and Latitude 27*23.865'

1965: Built by Flensburg Shipbuilding Company in Flensburg, Germany, and named  "Adele Hagenah" for the owner's wife.

1965 to 2010: Used as a coastal cargo ship under a German flag with ports of call in Germany, Poland, the Netherlands, Sweden, Lithuania, France and Denmark.

2005 to 2014: Named Hannelore for Hannelore "Hanni" Fuhrmann, wife of the new owner, the ship plies a northern Germany canal between the North Sea and the Baltic Sea.

June 2016: The U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency seized the Bolivia-flagged ship renamed Voici Bernadette in Miami and found 800 bricks of cocaine totaling 2,000 pounds worth about $35 million.

April 17, 2018: St. Lucie County Board of Commissioners accepted vessel.

June 12, 2018: The ship was towed from Miami to Fort Pierce.

Aug. 2, 2018: Prepping the ship began, including removal of the masts and wiring and cutting a hole in the lower deck to enhance water flow. 

June 23, 2019: Voici Bernadette sunk.