Orange Beach, Ala. — (OBA) —  A former Indiana riverboat casino is set to make history off the Alabama Gulf Coast next week. The 408-foot Argosy VI will be sunk about 23 nautical miles south of Orange Beach. The vessel will settle at a depth of 122 feet, creating a new marine habitat for marine life. It will become part of the largest artificial reef system in the United States.

The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) scheduled a media day for Monday, June 29, 2026, from 10 a.m. to noon. Reporters may view and photograph the Argosy VI before it departs for the reef site. The vessel is docked at 14750 State Docks Rd., Bayou La Batre, AL 36509.

The Argosy VI is four levels tall, more than 80 feet wide, and 408 feet long. It will rank among the largest reef sites in the 364-square-mile Dr. Robert (Bob) Shipp Alabama Artificial Reef Zone. More than 400 reef sites already exist in the zone, including the 271-foot LuLu and the 250-foot New Venture. Both are top fishing and diving destinations within 7.5 miles of where the Argosy VI will be placed.

The Argosy VI is similar in size to World War II Liberty ships that were converted into reefs in the mid-1970s within what is now the Dr. Robert (Bob) Shipp Alabama Artificial Reef Zone. Sections of those Liberty ships still provide fish habitat today.

Crews prepared the Argosy VI at a Bayou La Batre dock. All substances that could harm the marine environment, including hydrocarbons, were removed from the vessel. Before reef preparation, the Argosy VI operated as a floating casino on the Ohio River in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, until 2009.

Alabama's MRD manages more than 1,100 square miles of offshore waters designated as artificial reef areas, making it the nation's largest such program. The reefs support marine fisheries and the state's outdoor recreation economy. More information is available at outdooralabama.com/saltwater-fishing/artificial-reefs.