408-Foot Argosy VI Becomes Latest Addition to Alabama's Artificial Reef Zone

By DAVID RAINER, Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

Alabama’s unparalleled artificial reef system added another jewel to its crown this week when the Argosy VI, a former riverboat casino from Indiana, was deployed as the state’s newest artificial reef about 23 miles south of Orange Beach.

The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ (ADCNR) Marine Resources Division (MRD) is overseeing the project that started with towing the 408-foot vessel from its temporary home in Bayou La Batre, where the vessel was gutted and prepared for deployment, into the Gulf of America. On Wednesday, Argosy VI was scuttled to make a trifecta of large artificial reefs as it joined the New Venture and Lulu vessels that were deployed in the same general vicinity, about 23 miles south of Orange Beach. The Argosy VI reef is located at N29° 52.206', W087° 34.984' (or in decimal degree 29.8701, -87.583067) in 120 feet of water with 62-64 feet of water above the top of the vessel.

“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. In 2018, we reefed the 250-foot-long New Venture, and we have been looking for the right vessel to complete the planned three vessel program.

“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.

“I would like to thank former Marine Resources Director Scott Bannon for his work to make this happen in the early stages. I am also thankful for the work of MRD Biologist Craig Newton and Artificial Reef Coordinator Russell Rigby for their work to get this across the finish line. Governor (Kay) Ivey approved this project for GoMESA (Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act) funding in 2025, and the disbursement was managed by our State Lands Division. MRD Director Kevin Anson and ADCNR Assistant Deputy Commissioner Billy Pope worked this week with our MRD Enforcement staff to get the media, dignitaries and others out to witness and document the sinking. It has really been a team effort within ADCNR to get this done.”  

The Argosy VI has a beam of 80 feet, significantly wider than the Liberty ships, retired World War II merchant vessels, that were deployed in the mid-1970s off the Alabama Gulf Coast. 

Craig Newton, MRD District Supervising Biologist, said the Argosy VI will offer anglers and divers a new experience. 

“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 two casino boats ended up docked at Bayou La Batre before 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.”

The vessel underwent an extensive cleaning with the removal of all grease, fuel and hydraulic fluid or other material that could be corrosive to the marine environment. Large holes were cut through the sides and floors of the vessel to accelerate the reefing process and to provide access to divers and the living resources that will use the structure as habitat.

With all that work completed, the Argosy VI was towed this week to the reef site, where it was flooded and deployed in 120 feet of water.

“The Argosy is strategically located in relatively close proximity to two other highly attractive reefed vessels, the New Venture and the LuLu,” said Newton, who turned over the reins of the artificial reef program to Russell Rigby. “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.

“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.”

Rigby, who previously served as MRD’s Geographic Information Specialist, said the nooks and crannies of the Argosy VI will hopefully be home to a variety of grouper species that have been difficult to attract to the smaller reefs. He expects activity around the reef will begin almost immediately.

“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 reason the reef site was selected on the eastern side of Alabama’s artificial reef zone south of Orange Beach was because of the clearer water associated with a sandier bottom.

“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.”

Kevin Anson, MRD Director, said the reefing of the Argosy VI is another effort in the goal of continuing to build Alabama’s artificial reef zone, which encompasses 1,100 square miles with more than 12,000 reef structures.

“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.”

ADCNR Deputy Commissioner Charlanna Skaggs was able to inspect and explore the Argosy VI in Bayou la Batre during the media day before the vessel was towed to the reefing site. MRD boats from Orange Beach and Dauphin Island carried numerous media outlets to the deployment site.

“This will make a great addition to our artificial reef zone,” Deputy Commissioner 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.”

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