Smuggler's freighter to become artificial reef

A makeover of the notorious Miss Lourdies is almost complete.

The 38-year-old, 167-foot long cargo ship will soon shed her past as a freighter and more recently, as a smugglers' container.

At noon Saturday, if seas are calm and winds soft, she will become an artificial reef when she's sunk a mile southeast of Boca Raton Inlet, near the Deerfield Beach and Boca Raton border.

In June 2008, while the ship was docked on the Miami River, U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents discovered a cache of 154 kilo-sized bricks of cocaine worth $12 million.

The government seized the ship last March and gave her to the city of Deerfield Beach.

"The plan was to make something special," said Arilton Pavan. The owner of Dixie Divers for several years has sought a reef for advanced open water divers at this site. He is part of a team of scuba aficionados and federal, city and Broward and Palm Beach County officials who worked together on the project...[Sun-Sentinel.com]