The historic SS United States was deliberately sunk off the coast of Destin, Florida, on Nov. 11, completing its conversion into an artificial reef. The operation used no explosives, according to Okaloosa County officials.
The vessel rests about 25 miles southwest of Destin in the Gulf of Mexico, according to The Associated Press. The project is intended to create a habitat for marine life and an underwater attraction for divers.
From ocean liner to reef
Okaloosa County acquired the ship in 2024 to make it an artificial reef. A museum on land is also planned to tell the liner’s story, according to CBS News.
The county had initially scheduled the deployment for Nov. 12, then moved it forward by a day because of a forecast of strong winds and unsafe conditions. The ship was towed from Alabama to the Florida coast before its final descent.
The SS United States began carrying passengers across the Atlantic in 1952 and retired from service in 1969. It was known as the fastest ocean liner in the world and is longer than the Titanic. After its retirement, preservation advocates sought to save it as a museum, but those efforts did not succeed.
For nearly 30 years, the liner remained docked in Philadelphia as ownership and legal disputes played out. Susan Gibbs, president of the SS United States Conservancy and granddaughter of one of the ship’s designers, said she was glad its story would continue. She described the vessel as an American symbol that brought people together.
The county’s reef project gives the ship a new role beneath the water, while the planned land-based museum will preserve its history for visitors.
Reid Bentley