The SS United States, a decommissioned ocean liner that has been docked in Philadelphia for nearly 30 years, was moved to a shipyard in Mobile, Alabama, to be prepared for sinking as an artificial reef. Okaloosa County, Florida, purchased the vessel for $1 million with the intent to scuttle it approximately 20 nautical miles off the Florida coast between Pensacola and Destin/Fort Walton Beach.
Designed by William Francis Gibbs and partially funded by the U.S. military, the ship entered service in 1952 as the fastest ocean liner in history, capable of speeds exceeding 40 miles per hour. It functioned as a luxury vessel for nearly two decades but was also designed for rapid conversion into a military troop ship. The rise of the jet age led to its withdrawal from service in 1969.
The SS United States Conservancy, a non-profit organization led by Susan Gibbs, spent years attempting to repurpose the ship as a museum or event space before the sale. To prepare the vessel for its new role, crews in Alabama have performed extensive remediation to remove 1950s-era environmental contaminants. Workers also cut holes throughout the hull to ensure air and water flow evenly during the sinking process.
For residents and visitors in the Destin and Fort Walton Beach areas, the scuttling of the 12-story-high, five-city-block-long vessel will introduce a new permanent offshore landmark. Fishermen and divers will notice a change in the local underwater ecosystem once the ship is submerged, as the structure is expected to attract various fish species. While the ship will be removed from public view on the Philadelphia waterfront, the SS United States Conservancy plans to open a land-based museum featuring the ship's massive funnels and other artifacts.
The transition marks a shift in how historic maritime vessels are preserved when traditional restoration is not financially viable. Rather than being sold for scrap, the ship’s hull will be repurposed for environmental use. Following the remediation work in Mobile, the ship was scheduled to be scuttled off the Florida coast during the week of the report. The exact date of the museum's opening and the final completion of the reef project have not been reported.