Ocean Wind Tug Dive Site: Pensacola Wreck Guide

September 4, 2026

Diving the Ocean Wind Tug off Pensacola: History, Depth, Marine Life and What Divers Really Report

Most descriptions of the Ocean Wind Tug dive site tell the same short story: it is an 87-foot tugboat resting upright in about 85 feet of water off Pensacola. That information is useful, but it leaves out almost everything that makes the wreck worth understanding.

The Ocean Wind was not an anonymous workboat purchased solely to become a reef. She began life in Texas in 1953 under the name Kate Malloy. She pushed petroleum barges through American waterways, appeared in the records of two serious maritime casualties under her earlier names, became part of a St. Louis towing fleet, and eventually worked as a ship-assist tug in Pensacola. In an unusually fitting ending, she reportedly helped tow several of Escambia County’s artificial reefs offshore before becoming one herself. (Shipbuilding History)

Today, the Ocean Wind is one of Pensacola’s most approachable offshore wrecks. She is large enough to look and feel like a recognizable ship, compact enough that divers can understand her basic shape, and shallow enough that most of the wreck remains within normal recreational depths. At the same time, she is still an offshore Gulf wreck, where visibility, current, temperature and surface conditions can completely change the character of the dive.

That combination—recognizable history, manageable size, intact structure and unpredictable Gulf conditions—is what makes the Ocean Wind more interesting than the shallow descriptions suggest.

Ocean Wind Tug dive site: quick facts

Detail	Best-supported information
Type	Steel-hulled tugboat intentionally deployed as an artificial reef
Original name	Kate Malloy
Later names	Mary Fredeman and then Ocean Wind
Builder	Levingston Shipbuilding Company, Orange, Texas
Hull number	487
U.S. Official Number	264248
IMO number	7215721
Documented delivery date	January 8, 1953
Length	87.6–88 feet in builder and deployment records; a later registry lists 92 feet overall
Beam	Approximately 25 feet
Later listed horsepower	900 horsepower
Reef deployment date	January 14, 2016
Location	Approximately 10 nautical miles southeast of Pensacola Pass
Official deployment depth	Approximately 85 feet
Frequently published range	Approximately 55 feet at the upper structure to 82–87 feet near the sand
Position	Upright with a slight list to port
Bottom	Sand
Published coordinates	30°10.995′ N, 87°12.017′ W
Decimal coordinates	Approximately 30.183250, -87.200283
Primary audience	Recreational wreck divers, although technical and rebreather divers also use the site
Commonly reported marine life	Goliath grouper, gray triggerfish, soapfish, barracuda, Bermuda chub, spadefish and other schooling fish

The builder’s record identifies hull 487 as the Kate Malloy, an 88-foot, 163-GT tug delivered to Anderson Petroleum on January 8, 1953. A later vessel record lists the tug at 87.6 feet with a 25.1-foot beam and 141 GT, while another registry gives a 92-foot overall length and 900 horsepower. These differences appear to reflect different measurement and registry systems rather than different vessels; the consistent identifying number is U.S. Official No. 264248. (Shipbuilding History)

FWC’s deployment record places the tug 10 nautical miles southeast of Pensacola Pass in state Gulf waters at a depth of 85 feet. Reef Smart lists the wreck upright with a slight port list on sand, while ScubaGo publishes a depth range of roughly 55 to 82 feet. An early post-deployment report placed the bottom closer to 87 feet, so I would describe the site as approximately 55 feet at the upper structure and roughly 82–87 feet at the sand, depending on the source, tide and exact location measured. (Wikimedia Commons)

Important navigation note

Escambia County regularly updates its public artificial-reef map and states that coordinates are verified on the date shown in its reef list. Because reefs can settle, shift or become partly covered by sand, I would use the county’s current interactive map or downloadable reef files rather than relying exclusively on coordinates copied from an older article. The county has also mapped possible military-practice-munition areas in some local waterways; its notice does not state that the Ocean Wind itself lies inside one of those areas, but it is another reason to check the live county map before navigating. (MyEscambia.com)

Current Escambia County reef map and files:
https://myescambia.com/our-services/natural-resources-management/marine-resources/artificial-reefs

The Ocean Wind was built as the Kate Malloy

The story begins at Levingston Shipbuilding Company in Orange, Texas. Levingston was not a minor boatyard. The yard’s historical record describes it as the U.S. Navy’s leading builder of ocean-going tugs during World War II and later as an important early builder of offshore drilling and support vessels. (Shipbuilding History)

Levingston’s construction ledger lists:

Hull number 487
U.S. Official Number 264248
Original name: Kate Malloy
Original owner: Anderson Petroleum
Vessel type: tug
Gross tonnage: 163 GT
Length: 88 feet
Delivery date: January 8, 1953
Later disposition: Ocean Wind

(Shipbuilding History)

That builder’s record is the strongest evidence for calling Ocean Wind a 1953-built tug. Numerous local articles and dive listings describe her as a 1952 vessel. The most reasonable explanation is that construction began or registry paperwork originated in 1952, while the documented delivery occurred on January 8, 1953. I would write “delivered in 1953” rather than repeating 1952 without qualification.

An archival photograph preserved by the University of North Texas shows the Kate Malloy pushing a barge on a river. The photographer and exact date are unknown, but the image came from the Heritage House Museum in Orange County and was donated by Levingston. It is identified by the archive as a primary source. (The Portal to Texas History)

Historic Kate Malloy photograph:

https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth37926/

A working tug in the petroleum trade

Ocean Wind’s original owner, Anderson Petroleum, and the archival image of the Kate Malloy pushing a barge point toward the kind of work for which she was built: moving heavy commercial loads through rivers, ports and coastal waterways.

Her documented name history is:

1953: Kate Malloy
1970: renamed Mary Fredeman
January 1979: renamed Ocean Wind

The same record links the vessel to Official No. 264248, IMO 7215721, the call signs WE4141 and WDC8575, and St. Louis as a later home port. (Wikimedia Commons)

The name changes matter because some of the most interesting pieces of her working history appear under Kate Malloy and Mary Fredeman, not under Ocean Wind.

A probable 1967 collision under the name Kate Malloy

A 1968 federal court opinion concerns the M/V Kate Malloy and a collision in the Mississippi River on Christmas Day, December 25, 1967. According to the opinion, pilot and relief master Ervin Lee Gosney was at the helm when the tug’s tow—two loaded steel barges—collided with the tanker Gulf Supreme. (OpenJurist)

The published opinion was not a final ruling assigning responsibility for the collision. It centered on whether Gosney could invoke the Fifth Amendment and refuse to answer deposition questions while the Coast Guard investigated the incident. The court denied Gulf Oil Corporation’s attempt to compel his answers. (OpenJurist)

There is an important research limitation here: the court opinion calls the vessel M/V Kate Malloy but does not print Official No. 264248. The date, name, vessel type, river-towing work and petroleum context are all consistent with the Ocean Wind’s documented history. I consider it a strong probable match, but I would not present it as mathematically certain unless another registry or casualty file connects the case directly to Official No. 264248.

Federal case:
https://openjurist.org/291/fsupp/816/gulf-oil-corporation-v-tug-kate-malloy-1667715

A second probable casualty as Mary Fredeman

The name Mary Fredeman appears in a detailed U.S. Coast Guard appeal decision involving a collision in the Houston Ship Channel on December 23, 1973.

The Coast Guard record describes the Mary Fredeman pushing two loaded tank barges, GDM 50 and GDM 60, inbound toward the Shell terminal. During a maneuver referred to as “breasting off” or “topping off,” the lead barge swung across the channel. The 567-foot cargo ship James Lykes struck the starboard side of GDM 60, penetrating a tank and releasing approximately 2,000 barrels of crude oil. (U.S. Department of War)

The document is an appeal concerning the license of the pilot aboard James Lykes. The Coast Guard Commandant ultimately ruled that the pilot’s attempt to overtake the Mary Fredeman had not been proven negligent, dismissed the charges and vacated the one-month license suspension. It should not be summarized as a simple finding that one vessel or one individual “caused” the casualty. (U.S. Department of War)

As with the 1967 case, the decision does not print Official No. 264248. The documented name chronology says Ocean Wind carried the name Mary Fredeman from 1970 until 1979, and the petroleum-barge work closely matches her broader operating history. This again appears to be a strong match, but I would preserve that qualification in the published article.

U.S. Coast Guard decision PDF:
https://media.defense.gov/2017/Dec/21/2001859518/-1/-1/0/2045%20-%20ROWLAND.PDF

From the inland river system to Pensacola

By January 1979, the tug had become Ocean Wind. A 1980 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers transportation roster places a vessel named Ocean Wind in the St. Louis fleet of L&L Marine Service alongside tugs including Ocean Chief, Ocean Star, Ocean Sun and Ocean Voyager. The roster’s old optical-character recognition is messy, but the vessel grouping, name and approximate 87.6-foot length are recognizable. (Internet Archive)

L&L Marine and related names are connected in later fleet records to Apex Oil. Apex specialized in petroleum transportation, storage and wholesale distribution, while its marine operations handled towing, fuel oils, crude oil, solvents and offshore equipment. Published fleet-level operating areas included the Mississippi River corridor between New Orleans and St. Louis, the Houston–St. Louis route, the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway and the U.S. Gulf and East coasts. That does not prove Ocean Wind traveled every listed route, but it establishes the kind of transportation network in which the fleet operated. (Tugboat Information)

A later registry places Ocean Wind with Ocean Transport Corporation in Pensacola and lists her at 900 horsepower, 92 feet overall, 25 feet wide and approximately 9.6 feet of loaded draft. (MarineLink)

A vessel photograph dated May 7, 2009, identifies Ocean Wind docking the Bahama Spirit at the Port of Pensacola. That image supports the local accounts describing her final working years as a ship-docking assist tug. (VesselTracker)

2009 Ocean Wind photograph:
https://www.vesseltracker.com/en/Ships/Ocean-Wind-7215721/gallery/265498

WorkBoat reports that Ocean Wind continued ship-assist work until September 2013. By then, she had been working for roughly six decades. (WorkBoat)

The tug that helped build Pensacola’s reef system

Ocean Wind’s final assignment is the part of her story that gives the wreck real local identity.

Escambia County Marine Resources Manager Robert Turpin said Ocean Wind had been:

“the tugboat that towed out many of our existing artificial reefs.”

That made her eventual reef deployment unusually fitting. Instead of simply being discarded at the end of her commercial life, the tug joined some of the structures she had helped carry offshore. (WUWF)

How Ocean Wind became an artificial reef

Escambia County acquired the retired tug as part of its artificial-reef program. A May 2015 WUWF report described approximately $100,000 in Florida artificial-reef funding toward acquisition and preparation, along with $45,000 in county local-option sales-tax funding. After the deployment, a local report stated that the county paid $45,000 for the vessel, private businesses contributed approximately $8,900, and FWC grant funding covered cleaning, preparation, towing and deployment. (WUWF)

Before sinking, contractors prepared Ocean Wind at the Port of Pensacola. Reported work included removing glass and plastics and clearing remaining fuel and oil from five tanks. FWC says it funded the cleaning, preparation, towing and deployment and provided expertise regarding the location and deployment method. (WUWF)

Ocean Wind was intentionally sunk on January 14, 2016, approximately 10 nautical miles southeast of Pensacola Pass in state Gulf waters. FWC gives the water depth as 85 feet and the vessel length as 87.6 feet. (Wikimedia Commons)

Cameras were mounted in multiple locations, including the bridge, galley and back deck. They recorded the flooding, descent and impact from inside the vessel, creating a rare view of a purpose-sunk ship transitioning from working tug to artificial reef. (Maritime Executive)

Ocean Wind became the first reef deployed in a then-new Escambia County artificial-reef site covering more than eight square miles in state waters, just east of the wreck commonly called the Russian Freighter. (WUWF)

Watch the actual Ocean Wind sinking

FWC original YouTube video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pE39hULlvmg

Wikimedia Commons copy:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tugboat_Ocean_Wind_Becomes_an_Artificial_Reef.webm

What the Ocean Wind looks like underwater

Ocean Wind rests upright on a sandy bottom with a slight list to port. Unlike older Pensacola wrecks that have collapsed, dispersed or become difficult to interpret, the Ocean Wind remains recognizable as a tugboat. Its hull, deckhouse and wheelhouse create a clear ship profile rather than a broad debris field. Reef Smart describes the wreck as relatively intact and documents whitespotted soapfish, Goliath grouper, gray triggerfish, great barracuda and Bermuda chub among its characteristic species. (Reef Smart Guides)

That recognizable structure is a major part of the appeal. On scattered wrecks, divers may spend much of the dive trying to understand what they are seeing. On the Ocean Wind, the relationship between the hull, deck, wheelhouse, bow and stern is easier to read.

The wreck is also compact. At approximately 87 feet long and 25 feet wide, it does not possess the overwhelming scale of the USS Oriskany, nor the long hull of some of Pensacola’s offshore supply vessels. Instead, Ocean Wind offers the feeling of exploring an entire working vessel in a relatively concentrated area.

A detailed interactive 3D model is available through Reef Smart and Visit Pensacola. The model is useful for understanding the basic layout before seeing the vessel in reduced visibility. One caution: the Visit Pensacola description calls Ocean Wind an “offshore supply vessel,” but the original shipbuilder’s construction record identifies hull 487 as a tug. (Visit Pensacola)

Interactive 3D model:

Separate propeller model:
https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/ocean-wind-tug-propeller-20240107-a7ada77d938b4e7a8f9df2eb62ff3b80

What the descent may feel like

Like most Dives in Pensacola - you follow a line until the wreck appears. The Day I was diving you could see the ship from the surface. It was as good as it gets.

Here are a few other first hand accounts.

On a clear day, the Ocean Wind may reveal itself early enough for divers to understand its whole shape. One YouTube creator summarized a dive with the words:

“Fish everywhere, great viz.”

(YouTube)

On another day, the wreck may emerge from green or dark water one section at a time. A public dive report stated:

“Viz degraded to about 15–20ft… Great shallow dive to finish up the day.”

(Facebook)

A public Deepblu log recorded no current, approximately 10 meters—or 33 feet—of visibility, a surface temperature of 26°C/79°F and a bottom temperature of 22.2°C/72°F. That single log documents nearly a 7°F temperature difference during the dive. (Deepblu)

Those reports are not contradictory. They reveal the central truth about diving Ocean Wind: there is no single Ocean Wind visibility experience.

Divers naturally remember and publish their exceptional days. Destination pages then turn those exceptional days into statements that sound typical. The stronger conclusion comes from preserving the full range. The Ocean Wind can be bright, open and crowded with visible fish, or dark, green and intimate, with only the nearest part of the vessel appearing at one time.

Northwest Florida diving conditions can change quickly, and regional guidance places typical seasonal water temperatures between roughly 60°F in winter and 86°F in summer. Even when the surface is warm, a thermocline can substantially lower the temperature at wreck depth. (Scuba Diving)

What divers actually say about Ocean Wind

I did not treat generic destination listings or unexplained star ratings as firsthand reviews. The most useful evidence comes from attributable public comments, logs, videos and trip reports.

“A common two-dive inshore wreck combo”

A diver responding to a Pensacola discussion on Reddit wrote:

“The Russian Freighter and Ocean Wind are a common 2-dive inshore wreck combo that is very good.”

The same diver described Pensacola and Destin as particularly strong for the variety and types of fish encountered. (Reddit)

Original discussion:
https://www.reddit.com/r/scuba/comments/9ije7t/pensacola_diving/

The pairing makes practical and thematic sense. Ocean Wind is a recent purpose-sunk tug that remains recognizable, while the nearby Russian Freighter—actually the San Pablo—is an older, broken historical wreck. Diving both gives visitors two very different interpretations of Pensacola wreck diving.

“A bit deeper, but still beginner friendly”

In another Reddit discussion, an experienced local diver recommended Ocean Wind as:

“A bit deeper, but still beginner friendly.”

That diver remembered the top at 65 feet. Other published profiles place the highest portion closer to 55–56 feet, showing why individual recollections should not replace surveyed or current operator information. (Reddit)

Original discussion:
https://www.reddit.com/r/scuba/comments/70sez1/pensacola_dive_sites_for_beginners/

“Beginner friendly” must also be understood comparatively. Another Gulf Coast discussion categorized Ocean Wind and the Russian Freighter as “easy” Pensacola wrecks, Pete Tide II and YDT-14 as “medium,” and the Oriskany and several deeper wrecks as advanced. The same post warned that Gulf diving can involve reduced visibility, surface current, choppy seas and an inability to see either the bottom from the surface or the boat from the wreck. (Reddit)

Original discussion:
https://www.reddit.com/r/scuba/comments/bugsji/recommendations_for_al_gulf_coast_diving/

That is the correct way to interpret Ocean Wind’s accessibility. It is easier relative to Pensacola’s deeper offshore wrecks. It is not automatically an effortless dive for every newly certified diver.

One diver’s favorite wreck

A U.S. Air Force profile of diver Gregory Evans identified Ocean Wind as his favorite dive. The account describes Evans and his team passing Goliath grouper and schools of fish while exploring the vessel’s murky remains. (AFRC)

Air Force profile:
https://www.10af.afrc.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/3102222/maintainer-takes-diving-to-a-deeper-level/

That description is valuable because it contains both sides of the Ocean Wind experience: the water was murky, but the dive remained memorable enough to become his favorite.

Repeated Goliath grouper reports

Goliath grouper are among the most frequently mentioned Ocean Wind encounters, although no animal should be considered guaranteed.

A July 22, 2024 video description reports:

“We find a huge grouper enjoying the tug.”

(YouTube)

Another Ocean Wind video describes a “friendly Goliath Grouper” taking up residence, while a separate Florida divers’ video reports seeing a huge Goliath grouper and other fish. (YouTube)

Focused Travel Adventures, July 2024:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WrbRRFDa8c

DestinSharks Ocean Wind dive:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJ4zCDSbR0E

Florida Spring Divers video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGqHnG_xG14

The repeated reports suggest that the wreck’s shaded openings and structure have periodically attracted large grouper. They do not establish that the same individual lives there permanently or that every charter will encounter one.

I did spend a bit of time with the large grouper. Check it out!

What marine life can be found on Ocean Wind?

Ocean Wind’s steel surface creates hard structure above a predominantly sandy seafloor. That relief gives smaller animals attachment and shelter, while the hull, deckhouse and openings create shade and ambush areas for larger fish.

Reef Smart identifies these key species:

Whitespotted soapfish
Goliath grouper
Gray triggerfish
Great barracuda
Bermuda chub

(Reef Smart Guides)

Is the Ocean Wind a recreational or technical dive?

Ocean Wind is fundamentally a recreational-depth wreck. Its upper structure is commonly listed around 55 feet, and the sand is generally reported around 82–87 feet. Those depths place the external wreck within ordinary recreational limits. (Scubago)

That does not mean every recreational diver is automatically ready for it. The actual challenge comes from the combination of factors:

Offshore boat diving
Potentially limited visibility
Possible thermocline
Current at the surface or wreck
Depth-related gas consumption
Reduced natural light
Steel structure and fishing activity
Openings that can be mistaken for casual swim-throughs

I would describe Ocean Wind as a reasonable progression wreck for a diver who is comfortable descending without seeing the bottom, maintaining depth and buoyancy around steel structure, monitoring gas and time at 80-plus feet, and following the boat’s offshore procedures.

Technical divers, sidemount divers and rebreather divers also visit Ocean Wind. For them, the wreck can serve as a relatively controlled location for equipment checks, team drills, longer observation, photography or carefully planned wreck work without requiring the depth of Pensacola’s major technical sites.

However, the wreck does not become a “technical dive” merely because someone wears technical equipment. The technical dividing line is usually the objective and profile, not the name of the wreck.

What to expect on different Ocean Wind dive days

On a clear Gulf day

The wreck may become visible during the descent. Its compact tugboat profile is easier to understand, divers can maintain visual contact across larger portions of the structure, and schooling fish may appear to surround the upper deck and wheelhouse. Published video descriptions such as “Fish everywhere, great viz” represent this version of Ocean Wind. (YouTube)

On a moderate-visibility day

The upper structure may appear before the sand, with perhaps 25–40 feet of usable visibility. The wreck still reads as a ship, but divers experience it section by section. A thermocline may change the temperature, clarity and color during descent. The public Deepblu log recording 10-meter visibility and a roughly 7°F surface-to-bottom temperature difference is one example. (Deepblu)

On a low-visibility day

At 15–20 feet, Ocean Wind becomes darker and more enclosed visually even when divers remain outside. The bow, wheelhouse or stern may feel like separate scenes because the rest of the vessel disappears into green water. Marine life can remain abundant even when the large grouper is absent. (Facebook)

That low-visibility version is not necessarily a failed dive. It is a different wreck experience. Clear water emphasizes scale and layout; dark water emphasizes discovery, shadows, openings and the sudden appearance of fish.

For filmmakers, that distinction matters. Ocean Wind should not be forced to look tropical when conditions make it eerie. The atmosphere may be the most truthful part of the footage.

Why the Ocean Wind works well for underwater photography and video

Ocean Wind has several qualities that make it useful visually:

A recognizable silhouette. The wheelhouse and upright hull immediately communicate “shipwreck” to a viewer who knows nothing about diving.

A manageable scale. A diver can be placed near the wheelhouse, bow or propeller to show size without disappearing against a massive structure.

Dark interior contrast. Openings can hold black backgrounds, fish silhouettes or beams of natural light.

Large-animal potential. A Goliath grouper beside an 87-foot tug gives both marine-life interest and scale.

Small-detail potential. Soapfish, triggerfish, growth, corrosion and marine organisms create close-up sequences between larger establishing shots.

Two completely different visual moods. Clear water can produce a broad, open ship portrait. Green or limited visibility can produce a darker, cinematic wreck sequence.

The strongest media sequence for this article would be:

A pre-sinking or historical photograph
A short clip from the FWC sinking video
Your descent footage as the wreck first appears
A broadside or three-quarter view showing the whole tug
The wheelhouse and surrounding fish
A diver beside the structure for scale
The stern and propeller area
Any Goliath grouper encounter
Close-ups of marine growth and smaller fish
A final ascent shot with Ocean Wind falling back into the water below

How Ocean Wind compares with other Pensacola wrecks

Ocean Wind occupies an important middle ground in Pensacola wreck diving.

It is more intact and immediately recognizable than the broken Russian Freighter. It is smaller and generally shallower than wrecks such as Pete Tide II. It lacks the immense scale, depth and psychological intensity of the USS Oriskany.

A diver who has mostly completed shore dives or shallow reefs may experience Ocean Wind as a substantial step into offshore wreck diving. A diver accustomed to the Oriskany, Avocet or deeper Gulf wrecks may consider it relaxed. Both perspectives can be true.

That is why community discussions call Ocean Wind “easy” or “beginner friendly” while simultaneously warning newcomers about Gulf visibility, offshore procedures and depths approaching 80–90 feet. (Reddit)

The Ocean Wind and Russian Freighter combination

Ocean Wind is frequently paired with the nearby Russian Freighter on two-site inshore charters. (Reddit)

The two wrecks complement each other:

Ocean Wind	Russian Freighter
Purpose-sunk in 2016	Historical wartime wreck
Upright and relatively intact	Broken and more dispersed
Clear tugboat identity	Frequently misunderstood identity
Compact modern reef	Older, established reef ecosystem
Easy-to-read ship form	Requires more interpretation

For someone visiting Pensacola specifically for wreck diving, this pairing can be more educational than two similar vessels. One wreck shows what a tug looks like shortly after deliberate reefing; the other shows what decades of damage, storms and marine colonization can do to a ship.

What many Ocean Wind articles get wrong

1. “Ocean Wind was built in 1952”

Many local reports say 1952. The builder’s hull ledger gives a delivery date of January 8, 1953. The safest wording is:

Ocean Wind was constructed around 1952–1953 and formally delivered as Kate Malloy on January 8, 1953.

(Shipbuilding History)

2. “Ocean Wind is 141 tons”

A post-deployment story called Ocean Wind a “141-ton” tug. The number appears to refer to gross tonnage, not physical weight. Gross tonnage is calculated from the volume of a ship’s enclosed spaces; it is not a scale measurement of how much the vessel weighs. (Local Pulse News)

3. “The tug is exactly 87 feet long”

The reefed hull is commonly and reasonably described as an 87-foot tug. More precisely, sources list 87.6 or 88 feet in builder and deployment records, while a later registry lists 92 feet overall. Different maritime records can use registered length and overall length. (Shipbuilding History)

4. “It was sunk in 90–95 feet”

That was the planned depth reported in May 2015. FWC’s post-deployment record gives 85 feet, while another report said the tug settled in 87 feet. (WUWF)

5. “Ocean Wind was sunk on January 13, 2016”

Some secondary directories use January 13. FWC’s official description gives January 14, 2016. (Wikimedia Commons)

6. “Ocean Wind was an offshore supply vessel”

The original Levingston record identifies hull 487 as a tug, not an offshore supply vessel. The later Visit Pensacola 3D page appears to contain a classification error. (Shipbuilding History)

7. “Ocean Wind is Pensacola’s newest wreck”

That description was accurate immediately after its 2016 deployment. It should not be repeated indefinitely as a present-tense fact.

8. Confusing the wreck with the modern Crowley tug Ocean Wind

Internet searches frequently mix the Pensacola wreck with a much larger Crowley tug carrying the same name.

The Pensacola wreck is:

IMO 7215721
Delivered in 1953
Approximately 87.6 feet
Reefed off Pensacola in 2016

The unrelated Crowley vessel is:

IMO 9554016
Built in 2012
Approximately 146 feet
Rated around 10,880 horsepower
Still an operating vessel rather than a Pensacola dive site

(Wikimedia Commons)

Any vessel-history page using IMO 9554016 is describing the wrong Ocean Wind.

Frequently asked questions about diving the Ocean Wind Tug

How deep is the Ocean Wind Tug?

FWC gives the deployment depth as approximately 85 feet. Dive-site profiles commonly list the upper structure around 55 feet and the bottom around 82–87 feet. (Wikimedia Commons)

Where is the Ocean Wind wreck?

The wreck lies approximately 10 nautical miles southeast of Pensacola Pass in state Gulf waters. A commonly published position is 30°10.995′ N, 87°12.017′ W, but navigators should consult Escambia County’s current artificial-reef map and files. (Wikimedia Commons)

When was Ocean Wind sunk?

Ocean Wind was intentionally sunk as an artificial reef on January 14, 2016. (Wikimedia Commons)

Why was Ocean Wind sunk?

After retiring from commercial tug work, the vessel was purchased, cleaned and intentionally deployed to create marine habitat and a public fishing and diving site. It was also a fitting choice because the tug had reportedly towed several other artificial reefs offshore during its working life. (WUWF)

Is the Ocean Wind upright?

Yes. Reef Smart describes it as upright with a slight list to port on a sandy seafloor. (Reef Smart Guides)

Is Ocean Wind intact?

The wreck remains recognizable and relatively intact, although all artificial reefs change through corrosion, storms, fishing activity and settling. Current imagery and county reef information should take priority over statements written immediately after the 2016 sinking. (Reef Smart Guides)

Is Ocean Wind a good recreational dive?

It is primarily considered a recreational wreck because the external structure lies approximately 55–87 feet deep. Its suitability for an individual diver still depends on offshore experience, comfort at depth, visibility, current and the specific day’s conditions. Community reports generally place it among Pensacola’s more approachable inshore wrecks. (Reddit)

Do technical divers dive Ocean Wind?

Yes. Its depth does not require technical diving, but technical, sidemount and rebreather divers can use it for training, equipment checks, extended observation, photography and appropriately planned wreck objectives.

Are there Goliath grouper on Ocean Wind?

Goliath grouper have been repeatedly photographed and reported on the wreck, including in independent videos and an Air Force diver profile. Their presence on any particular dive is not guaranteed. (YouTube)

What visibility should I expect?

No fixed number is honest. Public reports range from approximately 15–20 feet to excellent visibility, with one public log recording about 33 feet. Conditions can change with weather, water movement, plankton, river influence and the thermocline. (Facebook)

Final perspective

When I strip away the repeated directory descriptions, Ocean Wind becomes more than a convenient 85-foot wreck.

She was built at a major Texas shipyard as the Kate Malloy. She spent decades in the petroleum and towing world, working rivers, ship channels and ports under three different names. She appears to have been present during at least two serious maritime casualties. She later became part of the St. Louis towing network, moved into Pensacola ship-assist work, and reportedly helped deliver other vessels to Escambia County’s reef system.

Then, on January 14, 2016, the tug that had carried and controlled other vessels was deliberately flooded and sent to the bottom. Cameras inside recorded the final descent. She landed upright, became the first deployment in a new reef zone, and began another life as habitat.

For a diver, the appeal is equally layered. Ocean Wind can be an approachable recreational wreck, a technical training platform, a photography site, a Goliath grouper encounter or a dark green descent onto a nearly intact working tug. The visibility may be excellent or may collapse to 15 feet. The grouper may be waiting in the wheelhouse or may be absent. The water may feel open and bright or cold and strangely quiet.

That uncertainty is not a flaw in the Ocean Wind experience. It is the Gulf of Mexico being honest.

The wreck does not offer the massive scale of the Oriskany or the mystery of the Russian Freighter. Instead, it gives divers something more concentrated: a complete Pensacola tugboat, a documented working history and a vessel whose final job was to become part of the underwater world she once helped create.