The legendary American ocean liner SS United States will be sunk Wednesday, Nov. 11, Veterans Day, off the coast of Florida. The ship, which held the transatlantic speed record for more than seven decades, will be turned into the world’s largest artificial reef. The operation will take place about 22 nautical miles southwest of Destin in the Gulf of Mexico. Okaloosa County moved the sinking up by one day because of forecast strong winds.
The liner left the port of Mobile, Alabama, at about 9 a.m. on Nov. 9 and was towed to the planned sinking site. A safety zone with a radius of one nautical mile has been set up around the vessel, and observers will not be allowed to enter it. Capt. Tim Mullane, founder of Coleen Marine, the company responsible for the operation, explained that about 24 workers will prepare openings in the hull and decks and then open valves to allow the interior to flood gradually. The ship’s list and position will be monitored throughout so that it settles on the seabed upright. The 990-foot vessel, about 302 meters long, is to come to rest at a depth of about 55 meters, with its highest decks about 18 meters below the surface. After the operation, specialists will check the position of the wreck and determine its exact coordinates. Diving at the ship will be prohibited that day.
SS United States made maritime history on its maiden voyage in July 1952. It covered the route from the entrance to New York harbor to Bishop Rock, off the coast of Cornwall, in three days, 10 hours and 40 minutes, at an average speed of 35.59 knots. In doing so, it took the Blue Riband, an unofficial distinction for the fastest transatlantic crossing by a passenger ship, from the British liner Queen Mary. The SS United States record has never been broken by another passenger liner. From 1952 to 1969, the vessel sailed between New York and Europe, carrying more than 1,900 passengers with a crew of more than a thousand. It was designed in cooperation with the U.S. Navy so that, if necessary, it could be quickly converted into a troop transport capable of carrying 14,000 soldiers.
However, the growth of passenger air travel made transatlantic liner voyages unprofitable. The ship was taken out of service in November 1969 and was kept on standby for military use for the next nine years. In 1978, it was put up for sale.
Over the following decades, SS United States changed owners, who considered, among other things, converting it into a hotel or apartment building, or returning it to passenger service. None of those plans was carried out. In 1984, the interior furnishings were sold at auction, and in the 1990s hazardous materials, including asbestos, were removed from the vessel. The liner has been in Philadelphia since 1996. In 2011, it was taken over by the SS United States Conservancy, which unsuccessfully sought funding to preserve and reuse it.
In 2024, Okaloosa County bought the ship, planning to create an artificial reef and a diving attraction off the coast of northwest Florida. The project also includes a museum on land to commemorate the liner’s history. The wreck is meant to become a habitat for marine life and, at the same time, a draw for diving enthusiasts.
Editor: JŁ
Source: Słoneczne Radio
