New reef 1 mile south of Boca Inlet.

[Harpmanr]

DEERFIELD BEACH - 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 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.

As a reef, Miss Lourdies is expected to lure Goliath Grouper, moray eels, silver schools of jacks, cobia, stingray and nurse sharks, as well as customers of more than a dozen area dive shops and charter dive and fishing boats.

One of Pavan's diving clients, Dan Fasano of Lighthouse Point, contributed $10,000 for cleaning and stripping the ship and other costs.

Fasano survived cancer and a bone marrow treatment but is hospitalized. The founder of www.AsSeenOnTV.com, his dream is to christen the dive site "Miracle of Life," and use it to raise funds for cancer charities and new artificial reefs.

A 14-foot tall, solid bronze, 3,500-pound torch-bearing angel welded to Miss Lourdies' deck will greet divers.

"I believe in angels because they represent positive energy and good things," said Pavan about the $5,000 statue that Fasano purchased at a steep discount from Bernard Molyneux, owner of Antiques & Country Pine in Deerfield Beach. Molyneux is also a cancer survivor.

Palm Beach County's Environmental Program had an existing artificial reef permit and with Broward County's Environmental Department, monitored Miss Lourdies' cleanup and steered the project's permit applications to state and federal authorities.

Miss Lourdies was stripped of 50,000 pounds of wood, wire, insulation, pipes and valves, engines and generators by Bruce Schurger and The Bunnell Foundation Marine Contractors.

Schurger's crew cut eight 20-inch by 20-inch holes into the hull and screwed steel patches over them before filling the ship with 230,000 pounds of concrete ballast.

Once anchored above the reef site, four of Schurger's men will have less than 15 minutes to unscrew and push the patches into the ocean before the ship takes on sea water and sinks 135 feet.

"They get extra pay for that," Schurger said of the work. "We rehearse it."

Anchors that weigh 2,000 pounds, each with a 500-foot chain, will help hold Miss Lourdies in place on the ocean floor.

All involved are counting the hours toward fulfillment of their public and private partnership.

"It surprises me how many people want to help," Pavan said. "The goodness of the people is amazing. The way the economy is, we're looking for something positive. And this is positive."

Staff Researcher Barbara Hijek contributed to this story. Linda Trischitta can be reached at ltrischitta@sunsentinel.com or 954-356-4233.

[bolo]

That will be cool to see them sink the freighter. In a few years it will be a get place to fish.

[fixed80]

you said that right. in a few years

[Teafycritter]

Ima hit it up and get those curious ajs a few days after they sink it.

[fixed80]

i thought that would be the first fishes to arrive at the new resident.