The historic SS United States sank to the bottom of the Gulf on Wednesday night, where the 74-year-old ocean liner will become the world’s largest artificial reef. The massive ship completed its final descent just before 10 p.m. EST.
THE TAKEAWAY
- The SS United States has begun sinking off the Gulf Coast to become the world’s largest artificial reef.
- According to the SS United States Conservancy, the vessel still holds the transatlantic speed record for an ocean liner.
- The vessel was designed for conversion into a high-speed troop transport for the U.S. military, if the need arose.
- FOX Weather Correspondent Brandy Campbell provided live coverage of the historic sinking.
DESTIN, Fla. — The SS United States, which set the transatlantic speed record in her 1952 maiden voyage, sank off Wednesday night to become the world’s largest artificial reef. The historic ocean liner once crossed the Atlantic Ocean in 3 days and 10 hours, according to the Historic American Engineering Record.
The SS United States completed its final descent just before 10 p.m. EST, disappearing beneath the water as the historic ocean liner reached the end of its journey.
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The 990-foot vessel will rest around 180 feet beneath the water’s surface and serve a dual purpose as a diving attraction and an important marine ecosystem for the region.
The original sinking date was set for Thursday but had to be moved up due to expected strong winds.
Okaloosa County officials told FOX Weather Correspondent Brandy Campbell that sustained winds needed to be below 17 mph and waves below 3 feet to safely sink the vessel.
Last shots of the SS United States before it is sunk.
(FOX Weather)
“With a large reef like the SS United States, she’s so big that the wind is actually a factor — that wind could potentially move her off the site where we need to deploy her,” Nick Tomecek, public information officer for Okaloosa County, told Campbell.
Officials began preparations for the sinking around 2 p.m. EST, using a fireboat to pump seawater into the vessel through a hose connected to one of its openings.
HISTORIC DAY IN FLORIDA: FOX Weather Correspondent Brandy Campbell is witnessing history in Destin, Florida, as the SS United States is preparing to be intentionally sunk off the Gulf Coast and become the world’s largest artificial reef. Brandy has a behind the scenes look and what this means for the marine life in the area.
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Shortly before 5 p.m. EST, the controlled sinking process advanced as officials opened two valves, allowing seawater to flow into the ship through its original intake pipes.
By around 6 p.m. EST, the flooding operation was underway, with water continuing to fill the vessel as it prepared for its final descent.
Crews work alongside the SS United States before it is sunken.
(FOX Weather)
The ship was retired in 1969 and docked in Philadelphia from 1996 until February 2025, when it was purchased by Okaloosa County, Floridaand towed to Mobile, Alabamato be converted into an artificial reef.
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Parts of the northern Gulf lack natural reefs, and the SS United States would help support a wide variety of fish and other marine life while attracting tourists and fishermen, Tomecek told Campbell.
Two people aboard a boat take photos of the SS United States before it is sunk.
(FOX Weather)
“When we learned about the SS United States, and that it would possibly go to the scrapyard, we said, ‘Hey, we can purchase that and make the world’s largest artificial reef,’” Tomecek said.
The ocean liner was also originally constructed with two purposes in mind.
The new United States liner SS United States, winner of the Blue Riband for 1952 with a transatlantic crossing speed of 41 mph.
((Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images) / FOX Weather)
According to the SS United States Conservancy, the vessel was developed after World War II by the United States Lines company and the U.S. government as the fastest luxury liner of its era that could be converted into a troop carrier that would be capable of carrying 14,000 service members for 10,000 miles without refueling.
The conservancy says the SS United States achieved a top speed of 44 mph in her sea trials, and still holds the transatlantic speed record, noting that modern cruise ships generally travel at speeds of 28 mph.
The ocean liner SS United States is launched at the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company yard, Virginia, 21st June 1952. The ship remains the fastest liner ever built.
((Photo by Keystone/FPG/Hulton Archive/Getty Images) / Getty Images)
Warren Jones, a current conservancy board member who once sailed from New York to France aboard the ship, shared his lasting memories of the voyage with Campbell.
“The ship going at this incredible speed — it was almost dangerous sometimes for a kid my size to go out on the deck,” Jones recalled.
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“Those engines, you felt the vibrations and sailed past the Statue of Liberty. It was unforgettable.”
The last day of the historic SS United States above water.
(FOX Weather Correspondent Brandy Campbell / FOX Weather)
The SS United States carried over one million passengers in her lifetime, the conservancy said.
Jone said the conservancy plans to open a ship museum in Destin, Florida.
Source: www.foxweather.com
