DESTIN, Fla. — The S.S. United States, an ocean liner longer than the Titanic that once set the trans-Atlantic speed record, was scheduled to be sunk Wednesday in the Gulf of Mexico to become the world’s largest artificial reef, The Associated Press reported.
The $13.5 million project by Okaloosa County, Florida, aims to attract divers and anglers while creating habitat for tuna, marlin and swordfish, according to the AP. Officials moved the sinking up by a day because of weather concerns.
The ship will rest in about 180 feet of water roughly 25 miles southwest of Destin, with its top deck about 60 feet below the surface, shallow enough for less experienced divers to visit.
Federal environmental and explosives rules barred the county from using explosives, county spokesperson Nick Tomecek said. Instead, crews removed tanks so that opening valves will flood the hull, cut 10-by-10-foot holes in the decks and removed more than 400 portholes.
The ship’s 65-foot smokestacks were removed and are planned to anchor a new museum celebrating the vessel.
The S.S. United States made its maiden voyage in 1952, averaging almost 41 mph and breaking a record set by the Queen Mary in 1938, according to the AP. At 990 feet, it is 108 feet longer than the Titanic. It crossed the Atlantic more than 800 times, carrying passengers including Grace Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor, John F. Kennedy and a young Bill Clinton.
“It was our goal to make sure that she wasn’t lost forever,” said David Lawrence, a board member of the S.S. United States Conservancy.
The previous record holder for largest artificial reef is the aircraft carrier USS Oriskany, scuttled off Pensacola in 2006, Tomecek said. About 500 artificial reefs are already in the waters near the new site.
For Arizonans planning a Gulf Coast dive trip, the site is between Panama City and Pensacola.
Sources: KTAR News/AP. Thee Arizona Times uses AI-assisted reporting reviewed against the sources listed.
Photo: Gottscho-Schleisner, Inc. / CC0 via Wikimedia Commons.
