The SS United States began its final descent toward the Gulf of Mexico floor on Wednesday afternoon, as crews began flooding the historic ocean liner to transform it into the world’s largest artificial reef.
The controlled sinking is taking place roughly 25 miles southwest of Destin, Florida, between the Pensacola and Destin-Fort Walton Beach regions. The vessel is being scuttled in a precision operation to create a new habitat for marine life and a major destination for divers.
“I think it’s going to be like Disney World,” Jocelyn Collins, general manager for Emerald Coast Scuba, told CBS News.
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… pic.twitter.com/fioU7d7CLF
Controlled sinking replaces explosives
Federal environmental and explosives rules prevented Okaloosa County and its contractors from using explosives to scuttle the ship, Nick Tomecek, the county’s public information officer, told FOX 8 Local First. Instead, officials are using a ballasting plan. USA Today said that crews are utilizing a fireboat to move seawater into the ship via a hose attached to one of its openings.
The deployment process, which began around 1:40 p.m. CST, is expected to last several hours, according to 6abc Philadelphia. Shortly before 5 p.m. EST, officials reported that the ship was fully flooded.
The operation utilizes the ship’s original intake pipes, which were designed to pull seawater into tanks to cool the boilers. Because those tanks were removed during preparation, opening the valves allows water to flood the hull. Once the final descent begins, it is estimated that it will take approximately 45 minutes for the ship to sink.
Remediation work in Mobile
Before its move to the Gulf, the ship underwent a preparation process in Mobile, Alabama, to remove environmentally unsafe materials. CBS News reported that the county coordinated these preparations with the Environmental Protection Agency and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
In Mobile, engineers from Coleen Marine worked with about 30 contractors on specific tasks, according to Alex Fogg, Okaloosa County’s chief of natural resources. The ship was moved to the Alabama waterfront last year for this cleaning and remediation work.
The cleanup involved removing hazardous materials. Organizers took the 65-foot (20-meter) smokestacks to use as an anchor for a new museum dedicated to the ship.
County tourist tax funds environmental and economic goals
The $13 million project is being funded by county tourist tax revenue. Okaloosa County officials view the ship as both an environmental asset and an economic opportunity for the Florida Panhandle. Through this partnership, incredible adventures will be provided for future generations of visitors while building a tourism industry that serves both the state and the Northwest Florida region.
The vessel will join approximately 500 existing artificial reefs located in the nearby waters, according to 6abc Philadelphia. The project aims to provide a habitat for marine life, potentially attracting open-water species such as mackerel, tuna, and amberjack. Kimbro said that the creation of more habitats is necessary as coral reefs are being lost globally.
“This saves the ship from being scrapped for metal or meeting some other demise,” Trey Goodwin, chairman of the Okaloosa County Commission, said in a statement to Northeastern Global News.
“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.
| Length | Current Status | |
|---|---|---|
| SS United States | Approx. 990 feet | Sinking to become artificial reef |
| USS Oriskany | 911 feet | Existing artificial reef |
Preserving maritime history
While the ship is being submerged, plans are underway to preserve its history through a land-based museum. “Once the ship is submerged, we cannot replicate the state it was in prior to its submersion,” Johnson said, as reported by Fox News.
During its maiden voyage, it completed the crossing in three days, 10 hours, and 40 minutes, averaging nearly 36 knots (41.4 mph). This performance bested the record held by the RMS Queen Mary by 4.5 mph.
The vessel’s history includes carrying over one million passengers and numerous high-profile figures. Notable travelers included a young Bill Clinton when he went to Oxford University, decades before he was elected president. The ship also hosted celebrities such as Marlon Brando, Coco Chanel, Duke Ellington, Salvador Dali, Walt Disney, Judy Garland and Cary Grant. A legendary CBS News broadcaster was among those who sailed aboard.
The ship was built in Virginia during 1950 and 1951 by more than 3,000 workers. Designed for use as a troop carrier if the need arose, the ship was docked and kept ready for nine years in case the U.S. Navy needed it for troop transport.
After being withdrawn from service by the United States Lines in 1969, the vessel spent decades docked in Philadelphia. The SS United States Conservancy, which had owned the ship since February 2011, unsuccessfully fought to preserve the liner as a museum.
“While she will soon rest beneath the waves, her story will live on,” said Susan Gibbs, president of the SS United States Conservancy and granddaughter of the ship's designer, William Francis Gibbs. “[The ship] has always been this unabashedly American symbol that brings so many people together,” Gibbs told CBS News.
The ship is expected to settle on the seafloor at a depth of approximately 180 feet, roughly 25 miles southwest of Destin. Its upper decks will sit about 60 feet below the surface, a depth considered accessible for recreational divers. The site will be located near the USS Oriskany, an aircraft carrier that was sunk as a dive site in 2006.