Rebel

On July 16, 1985, the Broward County Sheriff’s Office Bomb and Arson Unit detonated four explosive charges, sinking the freighter Rebel off Fort Lauderdale. Originally laid down in 1940 as the Cornelis, this coastal freighter had an eventful history. During World War II, due to the impending German occupation, the vessel was dismantled and sunk near the shipyard. It was later rebuilt in 1947. The coaster measured 135.4 feet in length, 23.6 feet in width, and displaced 288 tons. After decades of sailing across Europe under various owners, the Cornelis was eventually sold to Inversionista Nova Aborai SA. of Panama in 1981 and renamed Island Transporter. Subsequently, it changed hands again, becoming the Sta Andrea after its sale to Cachontun SA. In 1984, the coaster was seized by the U.S. Coast Guard for smuggling narcotics and docked on the Miami River. Following a period of idleness, an anonymous Fort Lauderdale resident purchased the Sta Andrea at a federal auction on June 12, 1985, for $17,500. This generous individual then donated the vessel, now renamed Rebel, to Broward County for use as an artificial reef. Like many coasters intentionally sunk off Florida’s coast for reef purposes, the forward section of the wreck—comprising the cargo holds—has collapsed outward into the sand, while the stern superstructure of the Rebel remains upright and intact, rising more than 20 feet above the seabed.