- SS United States to Become World’s Largest Artificial Reef.
- Historic Ocean Liner SS United States Set for Gulf of Mexico Sinking.
- Florida County Approves Plan to Transform SS United States into Diving Attraction.
A once-glorious ocean liner that ferried immigrants, Hollywood stars and heads of state is poised to find new life at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico. Florida’s Okaloosa County has agreed to a tentative deal to transform the SS United States into the world’s largest artificial reef, reports ABC News.
Court-Ordered Mediation and the Ship’s Struggles
The sale, approved Tuesday, is dependent on the completion of a court-ordered mediation process. It follows a judge’s ruling to evict the SS United States from its pier berth in Philadelphia after years of stalemate over unpaid rent and dockage.
Conservationists have scrambled for years to find an alternative to scrapping the aging ship.
A Storied Past: The SS United States
The SS United States, built in 1952, remains the largest passenger ship ever constructed in the United States. The ship broke the world record for the fastest transatlantic crossing ever done by a passenger liner on its maiden voyage. The long history of the ship has ensured that it played a big role in ferrying notable figures, among whom are immigrants, Hollywood stars, and heads of state.
Despite its rich history, an ocean liner remained locked in a kind of race against time as efforts to preserve it stalled. This ocean liner is more than 100 feet longer than its peer, the Titanic, and was faced with a fate that hung precariously in the balance as conservationists scrambled to find a new home for the iconic vessel.
Plan to Create a Signature Diving Attraction
However, rather than scrapping the ship, officials in Okaloosa County discovered an innovative plan: sink the SS United States and turn it into a big artificial reef. The supporters say that the new underwater destination would bring divers and tourists from every corner of the globe. The dollars are expected to roll in, with an estimated millions each year in local tourism from scuba shops, fishing charters, and hotels for local businesses because of the barnacle-covered remains of the ship.
“To have an opportunity to have the SS United States right here by our shore is a heritage and a legacy that is generational,” said Okaloosa County Commissioner Mel Ponder. “I’m very excited for not only what it does for the diving community, but also the fishing community, but the community at large.”
Financial and Environmental Impact
Officials say it could take more than $10 million to complete the project. Meanwhile, the deal to purchase the vessel can be finalized in weeks, but getting the SS United States cleaned, prepared, transported, and sunk may take at least a year and half. Once scubaed, the ship will become a diving attraction and at the same time, an ideal artificial habitat for sea life contributing to the county’s network of over 500 artificial reefs.
A Unique Historic and Environmental Attraction
“The SS United States has inspired millions the world over as a symbol of American pride and excellence,” said Susan Gibbs, president of the SS United States Conservancy, the nonprofit working to preserve the vessel. “Should the ship be converted into an artificial reef, she will become a unique historic attraction above and below the waterline.”
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Source: ABC
