• Launched: October 11, 1925, by the Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company

  • powered by two Winton diesel engines developing a total of 900 horsepower, yielding a cruising speed of 13 knots.

  • Five staterooms and four bathrooms for guests were located on the berth deck, while the dining saloon, livingroom, galley, and pantry were found on the main deck

• 1925: A biologist named Bingham originally explored the waters of the Caribbean, where he collected fish and other marine life

• 1926: Bigham conducted his second expedition to the Pacific coast of Central America and the Gulf of California.  Bingham had specially designed the Pawnee II to facilitate deep-sea trawling and research; a taxidermist’s room and laboratory were located on the main deck.

• 1927: third and final expedition took it to the Bahamas and Bermuda

• 1930: Bingham sold the ship

• 1938: the yacht was sold to the Virginia Pilots Association, converted into a pilot vessel

• Early 1980s: operated as a freighter in the Bahamas

• March 13, 1985: the U.S.C.G.C. Ute (WATF-76) conducted an inspection on the Andro after coming across the Bahamian‐ registered vessel in the Yucatan Straits, 40 miles southwest of Cuba, finding 15 tons of Marijuana.

• December 17, 1985: purchased by the Miami‐Dade Department of Environmental Resources and sunk off Haulover Inlet

Name History:

• Pawnee II (1925)

• Hardi Biaoa (1930)

• Virginia (1938)

• Andro (n/a)

Divesite:

The once proud yacht now sits in 103 feet of water with her bow on her starboard side. Portions of the wreck rise almost 40 feet off the bottom. Amidships, the Andre’s funnel is resting practically upside down after it became dislodged from the hull. One of the vessel’s large engines can be found adjacent to the funnel. The Andro’s stern is listing to port with both screws still visible, though mangled. While she is largely remembered as a former drug-runner, it is fitting that the Andro, a vessel originally employed to further marine science, is now permanently serving as an artificial reef.