Xing Da
Freighter · China · Lost 1997 · Bermuda
A Chinese smuggling ship seized in a 1996 US sting operation carrying migrants, later scuttled off Bermuda's reef as an artificial reef dive site.
Become Captain of Record
The Vessel and Her Loss
In October 1996, the freighter Xing Da, believed linked to a Chinese smuggling syndicate and carrying dozens of migrants intended for illegal transfer to the United States, was intercepted 140 miles off Bermuda by the US Coast Guard and Marines. Towed into Bermuda and found beyond economical repair, she was acquired by the Bermuda government and deliberately sunk on May 15, 1997, on the seaward edge of the northwest barrier reef to create a new dive site.
Vessel
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- Steel
- 221 ft
- Not established
- Not established
- Diesel, single screw
- Not established
Loss
- May 15, 1997
- Intentional sinking
- Seaward edge of Bermuda's northwest barrier reef
- Atlantic Ocean, Bermuda reef platform
- China → United States (intended, via at-sea transfer)
- Not established
- 0
- 0
- Not established
The Wreck Today
- 104 ft
- Sunk even-keel and largely intact.
- Upright
- Not established
- Not established
Position
- Not established
- Position not established
- Northwest barrier reef, Bermuda
Evidence
Overall confidence: Documented (78/100)
The vessel's build year and shipyard are not established in the sources reviewed.
Interception details, scuttling date, depth.
Investigation details prior to scuttling.
