Thomas Heyward Liberty Ship
One of our best spearfishing sites — a WWII Liberty ship you can swim the entire length of in 90 feet.
The Thomas Heyward is one of the most popular dive and fishing sites in the area. With just her hull and a few bulkheads remaining, you can swim inside the entire ship.
The 360-foot Liberty ship was built by the Alabama Drydock Company in Mobile in 1942 as an emergency cargo ship for the U.S. Maritime Commission. On May 5, 1946, she hit a floating mine off Europe but made it safely back to port for repairs.
Laid up in the Mobile Reserve Fleet in 1949, she was purchased by the Florida Department of Natural Resources and sunk off Destin as an artificial reef on April 14, 1977.
Marine life
Almaco jacks, amberjacks, mangrove snapper, lionfish, and a few sharks. In summer 2020 we were fortunate to see two whale sharks and a manta ray!
3D Model
No county 3D model of this site yet. Browse the county's 3D reef models.
Videos & Links
Dive the Thomas Heyward Liberty Ship with us
Six-passenger boat out of Shalimar. Call to check which sites are on the schedule.