The SS United States Is Set to Be Sunk in Mid-November
Okaloosa County says the 1,000-foot liner will join a reef habitat after $10 million in transport and federal approvals.
- The Okaloosa County Board of County Commissioners announced the SS United States will be deployed as an artificial reef during the second week of November 2026, sunk 22 nautical miles southwest of Destin-Fort Walton Beach, Florida.
- After leaving Philadelphia in February 2025, the historic liner was towed approximately 1,800 miles to Mobile, Alabama for environmental cleanup. Okaloosa County purchased the vessel for $1 million to prepare the hull for its final deployment off the Gulf Coast.
- Crews dismantled the ship's two 65-foot smokestacks to feature in a land-based museum, preserving the legacy of "the Big U." The facility will explore the ship's 20th-century engineering and historic role as "America's Flagship" following its final voyage.
- "We are just excited to bring this amazing project to fruition for the environment and diving community," Okaloosa County spokesperson Nick Tomecek stated. Officials expect the reef to draw anglers and divers to the region.
- Although the schedule remains weather-dependent, officials will release further details in the coming weeks. The conservancy also plans to distribute "Superliner: The Enduring Legacy of the SS United States," which captures the ship's final journey.
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Once the fastest US ocean liner that carried presidents and celebrities across the Atlantic, SS United States is set to become the world’s largest artificial reef
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The Independent
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Hanford Sentinel
The SS United States is set to be sunk in mid-November
PHILADELPHIA — Nearly a year after last-minute efforts to save the ship and two years since it departed Philadelphia waters, the SS United States is about to set sail on its final voyage. The 990-foot retired ocean liner that stayed…
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