SS United States to become world's largest artificial reef
The SS United States, the fabled ocean liner, is being scuttled to the ocean floor on Wednesday in a controlled, explosive-free sinking that is taking place about 20 nautical miles off the Gulf Coast of Florida between the Destin-Fort Walton Beach region and Pensacola.
The 1,000-foot-long SS United States is being sent to the bottom of the ocean in a sinking operation that began Wednesday afternoon.
The ship will become the largest artificial reef in the world, only adding to its long list of maritime achievements. The Destin-Fort Walton Beach metropolitan area says it already has about 580 artificial reefs off its coastline, the most for any region in the country.
The SS United States first set sail in 1952, at the time setting a transatlantic speed record for an ocean liner that still stands today.
It carried thousands of voyagers over its two decades of military service, including presidents, royalty, celebrities and even legendary CBS News broadcaster Walter Cronkite.
Its design was so revolutionary that even the Pentagon kept it a secret.
But by 1969, the SS United States was retired from service, and it wound up in Philadelphia in 1996. It remained docked there for decades, until Okaloosa County in Florida purchased the ship from the SS United States Conservancy for about $1 million in 2024 with the goal of deploying it as an artificial reef designed to provide a habitat for the Gulf's marine ecosystem.
Prior to sinking it, the county sent the ship to Mobile, Alabama, for a one-year preparation process that involved removing all environmentally unsafe materials, including non-metal items, wiring and fuel, the county said.
Holes were also strategically cut throughout the ship to ensure it remains upright when submerged.
The preparations were conducted in coordination with the Environmental Protection Agency and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
The approximately $13 million project to make the ship an artificial reef was funded by county tourist tax revenue. Okaloosa County hopes that the ship will serve as a jolt to the economy of the Florida Panhandle, providing a year-round destination for divers.
"I think it's going to be like Disney World," Jocelyn Collins, general manager for Emerald Coast Scuba, told CBS News. "You know, we're going to line people up and take pictures underwater."
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The sinking of the SS United States, once the world's fastest ocean liner
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