The S.S. United States, once the fastest ocean liner in the world, was sunk on Wednesday off the coast of the Florida Panhandle. The vessel is now the world's largest artificial reef, fulfilling a long-planned $13.5 million project. The initiative is designed to attract divers and fishing enthusiasts to the area while providing a habitat for tuna, marlin, and swordfish. This action prevents the ship from being scrapped for metal, preserving a piece of maritime history.
The sinking took place approximately 25 miles southwest of Destin, in waters about 180 feet deep. The top deck rests roughly 60 feet below the surface, allowing inexperienced divers to visit. Federal environmental rules prohibited the use of explosives to scuttle the ship. Instead, workers cut large holes in the decks and removed over 400 portholes. They also extracted pipes that cooled the boilers, allowing seawater to flood the hull naturally. Officials moved the operation up by one day due to concerns about inclement weather.
Built in Virginia between 1950 and 1951, the ship was 990 feet long, making it 108 feet longer than the Titanic. Its maiden voyage set a speed record, averaging almost 41 miles per hour despite a gale that reached 69 miles per hour. The ship carried notable passengers, including President John F. Kennedy and Britain’s former King Edward VIII. It crossed the Atlantic more than 800 times before being decommissioned in 1969. Previous attempts to repurpose the vessel as a hotel or cruise ship failed, and it sat docked in Philadelphia for decades.
Organizers removed the ship's 65-foot smokestacks, which will anchor a new museum celebrating the vessel. David Lawrence, a board member of the S.S. United States Conservancy, stated that the goal was to ensure the ship was not lost forever. Susan Gibbs, the granddaughter of the ship's designer, expressed happiness that parts of the vessel are being saved. The site joins about 500 other artificial reefs in the region, including the nearby USS Oriskany aircraft carrier scuttled in 2006.