Automatic source timelineGulf of MexicoTimeline updated 6 Sept 2026

Liberty Ship Thomas Heyward, Gulf of Mexico

NOAA initial notification: “On October 21, 2020, NOAA was notified of a spill from the SS Thomas Heyward Liberty Ship, now an artificial reef located southwest of Destin East Pass, FL. In September, sport divers reported oil sheen on the water surface and black "oil - like" substance flowing from the deck […]”[1]

Follow the timeline Latest included source reportOriginal sources (3)

Latest included source report

Posted 4 Apr 2022

Latest source report

“See the article below on the following website: https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/assessment-sunken-liberty-ship-completed-gulf-mexico ******************************** Assessment of Sunken Liberty Ship Completed in Gulf of Mexico APRIL 4, 2022 — U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Sector Mobile recently completed the assessment operations for the WWII Liberty ship, Thomas Heyward, […]” Current outcome is not independently verified by seahazards.[3]

NOAA report chronology

3 dated source records · 22 Oct 2020 to 4 Apr 2022
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NOAA incident record opened

Initial notification excerpt: “On October 21, 2020, NOAA was notified of a spill from the SS Thomas Heyward Liberty Ship, now an artificial reef located southwest of Destin East Pass, FL. In September, sport divers reported oil sheen on the water surface and black "oil - like" substance flowing from the deck of the ship and the Okaloosa county diver conducted an inspection of the artificial reef and collected samples. Now, USCG requested NOAA assistance in identifying whether the ship is related to the Johnson Beach spill, reported after Hurricane Sally made landfall.”

NOAA approximate incident area; not a vessel track

Initial incident area only. Dates are NOAA postings, not a vessel track. Playback advances every 5 seconds.

Milestone 1 of 3: 22 Oct 2020. NOAA incident record opened. NOAA approximate incident area; not a vessel track

  1. NOAA incident record opened

    Initial notification excerpt: “On October 21, 2020, NOAA was notified of a spill from the SS Thomas Heyward Liberty Ship, now an artificial reef located southwest of Destin East Pass, FL. In September, sport divers reported oil sheen on the water surface and black "oil - like" substance flowing from the deck of the ship and the Okaloosa county diver conducted an inspection of the artificial reef and collected samples. Now, USCG requested NOAA assistance in identifying whether the ship is related to the Johnson Beach spill, reported after Hurricane Sally made landfall.”

    NOAA approximate incident area; not a vessel track (30.308°, -86.604°)

    NOAA Office of Response and Restoration

  2. News Story on discovery of leak

    Source report excerpt: “https://www.getthecoast.com/liberty-ship-artificial-reef-slowly-leaking-oil-off-the-coast-of-destin/ Liberty Ship Artificial Reef slowly leaking oil off the coast of Destin By Jared Williams October 25, 2021 On Monday September 28, 2020, Coastal Resource Manager Alex Fogg was contacted by local dive operator Nancy Birchett of ScubaTech Northwest Florida. ScubaTech was completing their first offshore dive trip since Hurricane Sally when Birchett reported that the popular Thomas Heyward Liberty Ship artificial reef had experienced some damage from the strong currents and high seas associated with the storm. Ms. Birchett also observed an oil sheen on the surface and her dive masters reported a […]”

    NOAA IncidentNews · source report archive

  3. OR&R Weekly- 4Apr22: Assessment of Sunken Liberty Ship Completed in Gulf of Mexico

    Source report excerpt: “See the article below on the following website: https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/assessment-sunken-liberty-ship-completed-gulf-mexico ******************************** Assessment of Sunken Liberty Ship Completed in Gulf of Mexico APRIL 4, 2022 — U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Sector Mobile recently completed the assessment operations for the WWII Liberty ship, Thomas Heyward, located in about 79 feet (24 meters) of water, four miles south of the Okaloosa Island Fishing Pier just north of the Pensacola-Panama City shipping lane. The vessel was intentionally sunk on April 14, 1977 off of Destin, Florida as an artificial reef structure. Intermittent discharge of oil from the bow section of the […]”

    NOAA IncidentNews · source report archive
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Details in the record

Source record
NOAA IncidentNews 10190[1]
Dated source updates
2[2][3]

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Automatically assembled from NOAA's incident record and substantive Public Affairs or Situation Update posts. Dates are NOAA posting dates, which can differ from when events happened or original reports were published. Excerpts retain the source's wording and uncertainty. This account does not independently establish the cause, current outcome or safety of the area. NOAA coverage is selective; missing updates do not mean nothing happened. The map shows one approximate incident area, not a vessel track.

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Original sources

Timeline updated 6 Sept 2026. New reports and changes to this NOAA incident are incorporated automatically; this is not a live incident feed.

  1. 1.Liberty Ship Thomas Heyward, Gulf of Mexico ↗NOAA Office of Response and Restoration · 22 Oct 2020
  2. 2.News Story on discovery of leak ↗NOAA IncidentNews · source report archive · 29 Mar 2022
  3. 3.OR&R Weekly- 4Apr22: Assessment of Sunken Liberty Ship Completed in Gulf of Mexico ↗NOAA IncidentNews · source report archive · 4 Apr 2022

Related records in our archive

Original source text, preserved separately from this account.

NOAAORR-10190 NOAA response record
Liberty Ship Thomas Heyward, Gulf of Mexico.
Gulf of Mexico.
1. On October 21, 2020, NOAA was notified of a spill from the SS Thomas Heyward Liberty Ship, now an artificial reef located southwest of Destin East Pass, FL. In September, sport divers reported oil sheen on the water surface and black "oil - like" substance flowing from the deck of the ship and the Okaloosa county diver conducted an inspection of the artificial reef and collected samples. Now, USCG requested NOAA assistance in identifying whether the ship is related to the Johnson Beach spill, reported after Hurricane Sally made landfall.
2. THREAT: OIL. COMMODITY: OIL. TAGS: HISTORIC WRECK, HURRICANE.
3. POSITION 30.308N 086.604W. NOAA INCIDENTNEWS 10190: https://incidentnews.noaa.gov/incident/10190
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