Dragão

Dragão is the André Rebouças, a Brazilian steel-hulled bucket dredge 55.5 m long with a displacement of 658 t. The name honours André Pinto Rebouças, an engineer and abolitionist from Bahia who was one of those responsible for the reform of the Port of Rio de Janeiro in 1869. It belonged to the Inspetoria de Portos, Rios e Canais and, after dredging the port of Cabedelo (PB), was being towed back to Rio de Janeiro by the steamer Sergipe, of Lloyd Brasileiro, with no propulsion and no cargo. Off Maceió, it took on water after the verdugos, the reinforcements along its sides, came loose; when it lost buoyancy, the towlines were released and it sank at 9:20 am on 9 March 1927. Because the dredge has a flat bottom, the weight of the dredging ramp probably inverted its centre of gravity, which is why it sank upside down.

The search for the identity of Dragão began in 1987. It was identified as the André Rebouças by cross-checking historical records with measurements taken on the wreck. Fishermen in the region call Dragão 'navio'.

Today the dredge lies capsized: the hull has two similar sections about 3 m apart, where the dredging ramp used to pass, and a large admiralty anchor is still attached to each of the bows. One of the boilers broke through the hull and is clearly visible, while the second is hidden under the hull, near the engines. The wreck is home to a great diversity of marine life, such as barracudas, rays, turtles, moray eels and hundreds of other fish. In Maceió, the best season tends to run from September to March, with clearer water and calmer seas.