A controlled operation to sink the SS United States began Wednesday afternoon, November 11, off Florida's Gulf Coast, preparing the historic ocean liner for a new role as the world's largest artificial reef. The 1,000-foot vessel is being submerged without explosives about 20 nautical miles offshore, between the Destin-Fort Walton Beach region and Pensacola.
The sinking marks another milestone for a ship whose first voyage in 1952 established a transatlantic speed record for an ocean liner that remains unbeaten. Its innovative design was once kept secret by the Pentagon. During roughly two decades of military service, the vessel transported thousands of travelers, with presidents, royalty, celebrities and CBS News broadcaster Walter Cronkite among those aboard.
The liner was withdrawn from service by 1969 and arrived in Philadelphia in 1996. It then spent decades docked in the city before Florida's Okaloosa County purchased it for about $1 million in 2024. The county acquired the ship with the intention of turning it into an artificial reef that would provide habitat for marine life in the Gulf.
Before the sinking could proceed, the county sent the vessel to Mobile, Alabama, for a year of preparation. According to the county, that work included stripping out all environmentally unsafe materials, including non-metal items, wiring and fuel. Preparing the retired liner for its underwater role also required changes to the ship itself.
Crews cut strategically placed holes throughout the vessel to help it stay upright as it submerged. The preparation process was coordinated with the Environmental Protection Agency and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
County tourist tax revenue financed the approximately $13 million reef project. Okaloosa County hopes the submerged liner will give the Florida Panhandle's economy a boost by creating a destination that divers can visit throughout the year.
The ship will join an extensive collection of artificial reefs in the area. The Destin-Fort Walton Beach metropolitan area says its coastal waters already contain about 580 artificial reefs, more than any other region in the United States.
Local diving businesses are anticipating interest in the new underwater attraction. Jocelyn Collins, general manager of Emerald Coast Scuba, told CBS News, "I think it's going to be like Disney World." She said visitors would line up to have their pictures taken underwater.
