WANDERLUST NEWS
This iconic ocean liner is set to be sunk off the coast of Florida to become the world’s largest artificial reef This iconic ocean liner is set to be sunk off the coast of Florida to become the world’s largest artificial reef
An iconic ocean liner – the SS United States – is set to be sunk off the coast of Florida to become the world’s largest artificial reef.
First launched in 1951, the passenger ship holds the record for the fastest ocean liner to cross the Atlantic Ocean in either direction. She was in operation until 1969, during which time four US presidents sailed aboard her: Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, John Kennedy and Bill Clinton. Other famous passengers include Coco Chanel, Salvador Dali, Walt Disney, Marilyn Monroe and John Wayne.
At nearly 1,000-feet long, the SS United States in more than 100ft longer than the Titanic. Her top speed was 38.32 knots, or 44 miles per hour, going forward, but her top speed reversing – 20 knots – was almost as fast as Titanic’s top speed going forward (around 23 or 24 knots).
The SS United States Conservancy has worked to save the ship from being scrapped since 2009, with Okaloosa County in Florida purchasing the ship in October 2024. She was tugged to Mobile, Alabama, in February this year, where she will be prepared for her final voyage by removing all environmentally unsafe materials aboard including non-metal items, wiring and fuel.
Preparation will also see passages opened to allow marine life to thrive in and around the ship, and strategically cut holes to ensure she lands upright when submerged.
According to Okaloosa County, the SS United States will be sunk ‘late this year or early next year’. The exact location of where she will be sunk is yet to be confirmed, but it will be around 20 Nautical Miles south of Destin-Fort Walton Beach.
Alongside the artificial reef, the SS United States Conservancy also plans to open a land-based museum containing ship artifacts, fixtures, furnishings, vintage audio-visual material, and archival documentation collected over the years.
Okaloosa County has form for creating artificial reefs, having sunk more than a dozen large vessels over the past three decades, including Royal Mail Service supply vessel RMS Atlantis, Air Force Parachute Water Survival School training vessel USAF Big Dawg, and 80-foot Baskins Barge.
More information: destinfwb.com / ssusc.org
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