First Funnel Removed as SS United States Prepares to Become a Reef

Five months after the famed ocean liner ss United States arrived in Mobile, Alabama, to prepare for her conversion into a man-made reef, the signature forward funnel was removed from the vessel on August 3. Work is proceeding with this key milestone, marking progress toward the end of the ship.

The massive forward funnel, which was the equivalent height of a six-story building (approximately 65 feet tall off the deck), was removed with a giant crane positioned alongside and lowered onto a barge. The SS United States Conservancy reports it is working with the buyer of the ship, Florida’s Okaloosa County, to protect, transport, and store the funnel.

The remediation team had earlier cleared out all the connections and equipment on the interior of the funnel. They also surgically placed cuts along the base of the funnel for its removal. 

The funnels were a distinctive element of the design of the ship, which continues to hold the title from 1952 of the fastest liner to cross the North Atlantic. Her renowned designer, William Francis Gibbs, developed what was called the “sampan” capped funnel design in the 1930s for earlier passenger ship designs as a means of keeping soot away from the decks. Subsequent designs grew larger in proportion to the ship, with the ss United States boasting she was fitted with the largest funnels on a liner.

The plan to sink the vessel off the coast of Florida’s Destin-Fort Walton Beach area calls for the removal of both funnels as well as the radar mast over the bridge, all of which the Conservancy plans to save. The cargo booms will also be removed from fore and aft. The Conservancy also plans to remove the last remaining propeller stored on the vessel’s aft deck and the stem anchor. Later today the radar mast over the bridge was also removed. The second funnel is expected to be removed in the coming days.

 

Fox News 10 TV Mobile broadcast the funnel removal 

 

Images from Mobile show that the windows of the promenade deck, portholes, and other fittings on the interior and exterior have already been stripped from the ship. Lose paint from the superstructure, and the deck covering has also been removed. Reports are that the team will begin working on the hull to remove the loose paint.

No final timeline has been released for when they expect to sink the hull of the vessel. Indications are that they hope to complete the reefing by the end of 2025.

At the same time, the Conservancy reports it is moving forward with the plan to create the future SS United States Museum and Visitor Experience. They have retained the museum and exhibit design firm Thinc Design to develop the concepts. Today, they released a new rendering of the potential museum space.

Several groups have continued legal challenges attempting to block the reefing of the hull. They were trying to prevent the removal of the key structural elements, arguing the ship is on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. 

 

Museum concept incorporating the funnels and mast (SS United States Conservancy)