DESTIN, Fla. — The SS United States is on its way to its final undersea destination off the coast of Destinwhere Okaloosa County officials plan to sink the historic ocean liner tomorrow afternoon and turn it into the world’s largest artificial reef.
Okaloosa County officials, who bought the ship in 2024, said it took more than a year and thousands of hours to prepare the liner for its final journey. The ship is being taken 22 nautical miles out to sea before the sinking.
The SS United States debuted in 1952 and broke the transatlantic crossing speed record, traveling from New York to Europe in three days. The ship still holds that title more than 70 years later.
Demand for steamships declined in the 1960s as air travel became more popular. The SS United States was retired in 1969, changed ownership several times over the following decades and docked in Philadelphia in 1996.
In 2024, after a battle with the dock owners in Philadelphia, Okaloosa County officials bought the ship for $1 million. The county spent additional money renovating it for its new purpose on the ocean floor.
Officials said the ship could not be sunk as it was. Okaloosa County and a private conservancy helped retrofit the ship into an artificial reef, a process that included clearing the fuel tanks, removing hazardous materials and preserving artifacts for a land museum about the ship.
The SS United States is a National Historic Landmark and will keep that designation after it is sunk. Once the reef is settled, divers will be allowed to explore it.
Source: baynews9.com
