Video: Ocean Liner SS United States Sunk as a Reef Off Florida Panhandle
A team of marine contractors has completed the sinking of the famed ocean liner SS United States, the fastest passenger ship ever to make a transatlantic crossing. 74 years after her delivery, the vessel has become an artificial reef and diving destination off the coast of Destin, Florida.
Despite holes cut throughout her hull and interior to aid flooding, the ship took eight hours to settle low in the water and sink. She rolled to port before going down, and an inspection on Thursday will reveal whether she came to rest on an even keel (the ideal outcome for dive tourism).
Built at Newport News, the SS United States entered service in 1952, and she set a new record as the fastest passenger ship to cross the Atlantic on her maiden voyage. She operated for just 17 years before retirement, her capabilities made obsolete by the advent of air travel (and by her high bunkering costs).
After years in U.S. government ownership, her title passed from hand to hand among various private owners until ending up in the custody of a nonprofit conservancy. The group's hope was to find a permanent berth where the ship could be redeveloped for a commercial purpose, but no economically viable proposals emerged. Instead, the vessel was purchased by Okaloosa County, Florida for reefing; after extensive internal cleaning and preparation, and a last-minute lawsuit intended to block her sinking, she departed Mobile, Alabama this week to transit to her final resting place.
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Okaloosa County believes the wreck to be the world's largest intentionally-created artificial reef, nearly 1,000 feet in length and 53,000 GRT in volume.
Divers will be able to access the wreck from Thursday onwards, and substantial boat traffic is expected. For visitors, SS United States may be found at permanent rest near 30° 07.148' N, 86° 46.755' W.
