Drone Captures Sinking of 180' Cargo Ship 'Voici Bernadette'

The 180-foot long cargo freighter known as Voici Bernadette was towed to sea and sunk in 100 feet of water about 11 miles southeast of the Fort Pierce Inlet.

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. At 11:46 a.m. the Voici Bernadette slipped below the surface.

The freighter was donated by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol after it was seized for smuggling cocaine into Miami from Haiti. Crews and volunteers removed anything from the freighter which could have caused environmental damage.

Lionfish fish attraction devices (FADs) were added to the ship by Vero Beach-based The Frapper.

Sinking coordinates will be final after a survey is complete, but it is located at approximately 27° 23.485’N and 80° 02.124’W

Coastal Conservation Association Website:

MMPS Environmental Website:

[johnr.timmers]

For anyone wondering why this ship was sunk, it was either given or sold to the artificial reef program. Ships such as this are purposely sunk in strategic locations to act as the foundation for a strong new reef, providing shelter for reef fish and corals, and thus helping to sustain our oceans. I'm fairly certain the ships are stripped down entirely before sinking to avoid any undue pollution.

[patriot-wfer]

The music was more epic than the ship sinking.

[johnhenke]

The coolest part is the high speed of all the boats leaving.

[KezanzatheGreat]

For those wondering, it's been known that sunken ships make excellent places for coral to grow, which in turn causes the ship to become a kind of artificial reef in which all kinds of fishes and sea creatures can live. This deliberate sinking of ships is actually beneficial to the environment when done properly. For those still wondering, *read the description.*

[metalltitan]

That amazing shot at the end when that fleet of little ships scatters is just perfect!

[colonelkurtz]

Im sure something I ordered online is still on that boat.

[ojmardueno]

This looked like a modern version of a public hanging...

[mikearroyo]

For those that don't understand the sinking was for, it's about creating coral reefs. The ship is clear of all contaminants before sinking. Life renewed.

[sbh_tx]

So many people in the comments didn't read the description of the video to understand why this was. Josh you got to pin a comment explaining why this was done. This was a project undertaken by the CCA and MMPS to create an artificial reef from a smuggler who got caught smuggling coke into the US from Haiti. According to the wikipedia page the CCA or (Coastal Conservation Association) is a grassroots, NON-PROFIT, social movement organization of salt water anglers from 17 coastal states spanning the Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic, and Pacific coasts. The CCA is primarily concerned with the restoration and conservation of coastal marine resources.

Is it safe for the environment?

yes the ship was cleaned of toxic materials by volunteers beforehand.

Why didn't they just scrap it?

Because they wanted to use it to create an artificial reef. this reef will attract sportfish and other marine life to the area where it was sunk.

Will oil leak out of it?

No. once again the ship was cleaned of Hazardous material by VOLUNTEERS. These people gave their own time to clean it so that others may have a place to go diving and fishing in the future. The CCA carries out a lot of these projects.

Was it for profit?

The people that did this are a non profit organization. by sinking this boat they cost the American taxpayer no money. furthermore a company did not pay the CCA to sink this vessel. any money spent on the project was donated to the CCA by people who did it so that there will reefs in the future.

[Hoodooist]

The audio is conquering and victorious.
The video is like having the drain plug pulled in your bathtub.

[gregfallin]

I was there yesterday morning and it couldn't have been any better conditions for this occasion!! This is a great video!! You did a Super Fantastic job here, very very good!! Thank You!!!

[davidappelgate]

It's a little disheartening looking through the comments and seeing just how many people either don't understand the concept of an artificial reef, or the sheer amount of effort it would take to recycle it for parts. Old steel like that doesn't recycle very well, and the environmental impact of trying to make it usable again is worse than simply cleaning it up and sinking it. And certain types of fish thrive in these type of artificial reefs so long as there's no asbestos, etc. aboard.

Really cool video.

[bobhickerson]

Super-Cool Video Josh!! Team Frapper is very proud to have participated in this project and looking forward to gaining additional knowledge to help control the lionfish invasion in his region.

[robbhahn]

Best use for these old, retired ships. It will be a thriving coral Community in no time.

[wrx]

the fast forward of the boats leaving at the end was pretty cool

[dayyton]

Thank you YouTube for recommending this 10 months later to random people

[LA]

All that pomp and dramatic music and the most interesting part was when all the boats departed starting at 2:36

[vonrammstein]

Built in 1965 in Flensburg Germany these were built rock solid and everything is over designed and over engineered, very sea worthy and strong, no coaster built today will have such a life span. She was seized as a smugglers ship carrying cocaine,

[garethjones]

Everytime I see a ship sinking and it goes under the surface it just shows how tiny they really are

[SensatiousHiatus]

That hyperlapse at the end is top notch.