The 408-foot vessel completes a long-planned trio of large artificial reefs.

The project was funded under the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act following Gov. Kay Ivey's 2025 approval. Officials said the vessel joins the LuLu, reefed in 2013, and the New Venture, deployed in 2018, completing a long-term plan to create three large artificial reefs in the same general area.

The Argosy VI measures 408 feet in length and has an 80-foot beam, making it much wider than the Liberty ships that were stationed offshore in the 1970s. Conservation officials said the vessel's size and four-deck design will provide more complex habitat for fish and new opportunities for divers.

"I am excited to add this huge reef to our already legendary Alabama Artificial Reef Zone," said Conservation Commissioner Chris Blankenship.

"This sinking completes the dream we started back in 2013 with the reefing of the 272-foot-long LuLu."

"Our goal at MRD, along with the Alabama Gulf Coast Reef and Restoration Foundation, was to build three large ship size reefs in fairly close proximity and use the synergies to drive dive operators and fishing business opportunities."

"The Argosy had been in Bayou la Batre for years and had been a target for reefing, but the owner had other plans for the vessel."

"Over the past year, the stars aligned, and we had an opportunity to work with the owner and agree to purchase the vessel for this 408-foot-long, four-deck-high artificial reef."

"I am thankful the Argosy is now on the bottom of the Gulf and will produce fishing and diving opportunities for decades to come."

Blankenship also credited former Marine Resources Director Scott Bannon, biologist Craig Newton, Artificial Reef Coordinator Russell Rigby, Marine Resources Director Kevin Anson, Assistant Deputy Commissioner Billy Pope, Marine Resources Division staff and the State Lands Division for helping complete the project.

Before deployment, crews removed grease, fuel, hydraulic fluid, and other materials that could harm the marine environment. Large openings were cut into the vessel to ensure proper sinking and to provide safe access for divers and marine life.

Craig Newton, Marine Resources Division district supervising biologist, said the wider vessel offers more vertical structure than the older Liberty ships, which have endured decades of storm damage and natural wear.

"The Liberty ships were 440 feet in length and about 50 feet wide," Newton said.

"The casino vessel is 80 feet wide, and it will provide a more vertically complex type of habitat than what the Liberty ships provided."

"The Liberty ships have undergone some wear and tear over the years."

"They've been reefed for more than 50 years, and you can imagine the storm damage and being in the harsh marine environment."

Newton said many people had asked about converting casino barges into reefs after two vessels arrived in Bayou La Batre ahead of Hurricane Sally in 2020.

"People were constantly asking me about repurposing those casino barges into reefs," he said.

"Now five or six years later, here we are."

"It was not the intention for those boats, but through some opportunities provided through GoMESA funds, we were able to work out an agreement with the owner."

Officials said the Argosy VI is within 7.5 miles of both the LuLu and New Venture reefs, allowing charter boats and dive operators to visit all three sites during a single offshore trip.

"The Argosy is strategically located in relatively close proximity to two other highly attractive reefed vessels, the New Venture and the LuLu," Newton said.

"It will be within 7.5 miles of both of those reefs so that any dive trip or fishing vessel can easily visit the Argosy site and enjoy a day of diving or fishing on all three of those highly complex structures."

Newton said the upper deck should sit about 60 feet below the surface, making the reef accessible to divers with different experience levels.

"We anticipate the top level of the casino barge to be sitting in right at 60 feet of water, which will allow a wide range of diver experience levels to access the reef site," Newton said.

"We expect the large void spaces in the vessel to be utilized by all the reef fish we like to catch like gray snapper, red snapper, grouper species and gray triggerfish."

"It will be highly suitable for species like vermilion snapper because of the size and vertical complexity."

"It could be a place where you could stop by on a day of red snapper fishing and supplement your box with some different types of fish."

Russell Rigby said fish could begin using the structure within hours, while a complete reef community may take about a year to develop.

"You can get some transitory fish within a couple of hours, fish that are moving between reef structures in the area," Rigby said.

"It will probably be about a year before we have a complete community of species designated only to this reef."

"We're hoping with all the openings and overhangs, it will provide suitable habitat for grouper."

"We're excited about this one."

"It will have lots of vertical relief, so species like amberjack and species of pelagic fish should use the structure."

"It will attract all the species our fishermen are interested in, so we're looking at a structure that will last 30 to 50 years and provide the people of Alabama a great resource."

Newton said the reef site was chosen because its sandy bottom typically provides clearer water, making it especially attractive for scuba diving.

"The reef site is more attractive to the dive community," he said.

"Along with the complexity of the vessel, the accessibility to a wide range of scuba divers and the clearer water, we anticipate this will be a highly attractive dive site."

"Scuba divers who are making a trip offshore can see a traditional shipwreck, and within the same day, see an old riverboat casino."

Marine Resources Director Kevin Anson said Alabama's artificial reef zone covers about 1,100 square miles and includes more than 12,000 reef structures. He said large vessels like the Argosy VI help diversify the reef system alongside the smaller structures that are regularly deployed.

"DCNR still wants to supplement the reef structures we have in the artificial reef zone," Anson said.

"Typically, we deploy small reefs like pyramid-shaped reefs, so having these types of reef structures brought into the system periodically helps maintain diversity and what the reef system can offer for Alabama fishermen and divers."

Deputy Commissioner Charlanna Skaggs toured the vessel in Bayou La Batre before it was towed offshore. She later joined others in observing the deployment from Marine Resources Division boats.

"This will make a great addition to our artificial reef zone," Skaggs said.

"This will be one of our larger reefs at more than 400 feet."

"We're excited about the fish species that will utilize this reef and for the divers and anglers who will get to take advantage of this."