Thomas Hayward (Liberty Ship)

Sitting in 90 feet of water, the 360 foot vessel is one of the most popular wreck dives in the Destin area. It has a vertical profile of about 25 feet. On May 5, 1946 the Thomas Hayward hit a floating mine off Europe. The ship made it back to port for repairs and was placed in the Mobile Reserve Fleet in 1949. Purchased by the Florida Department of Natural Resources in 1977, it was sunk about seven miles southwest of East Pass, near White Hill Reef in about 90 feet of water. Extremely popular with divers, the area hosts large Southern Stingrays, amberjack, grouper and founder.