The SS United States, the historic ocean liner that has sat for decades on the Delaware River, is closer to becoming an artificial reef off the Florida coast.
Okaloosa County commissioners voted Tuesday in favor of an agreement to acquire the ship and sink it off the coast of Destin-Fort Walton Beach, the home of more than 560 artificial reefs. The deal is expected to close in the coming weeks, after the U.S. District Court-ordered mediation between the ship's caretakers and landlord concludes.
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Okaloosa County plans to allocate $10.1 million to purchase, transport, remediate and sink the SS United States. Under the deal, a museum would be established by the ship's caretakers, the SS United States Conservancy, to allow visitors to learn more about the ship, which holds the record for the fastest trans-Atlantic crossing.
Under the agreement, the retired ocean liner would be moved from Pier 82 in South Philly, where it has been docked since 1996, to become a scuba diving and fishing destination off the Florida panhandle. The ship, which at 990 feet long is 100 feet longer than the Titanic, would become the world's largest artificial reef, Okaloosa County officials said.
The ship would become a "unique historic attraction above and below the waterline," said Susan Gibbs, the conservancy's president. adding that the proposed museum would utilize the "latest technology" to tell the ocean liner's history. The museum would display various components of the ship, including its radar mast.
The cleaning and preparation of the ship is expected to take more than a year after the purchase is completed; it will take another six months to one year to plan its sinking. The exact location where it will rest has yet to be determined.
In a social media post, the SS United States Conservancy acknowledged that news of the ship's future as a reef may be "deeply challenging" for the people who have supported various efforts to repurpose the ship.
"As you know, we have worked for over a decade to see America's Flagship repurposed, and we remain confident that she could succeed as a floating, mixed-use destination," the post read. "However, this plan to deploy the SS United States as the world's largest artificial rife would save the ship from scrapping. It would also support the Conservancy's dynamic museum and unique visitor experience that will educate the public about the SS United States and her legacy, incorporate iconic components from the ship, and offer public access to our extensive archival and curatorial collections."
The SS United States launched in 1951, setting the transatlantic speed record on her maiden voyage in 1952. Over the years, the ship transported four presidents — Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, John Kennedy and Bill Clinton — and various celebrities, including Marlon Brando, Sean Connery, Walt Disney, Duke Ellington, Judy Garland, Marilyn Monroe, John Wayne and Bob Hope.
The ship was designed as a convertible troop carrier capable of transporting 14,000 troops 10,000 miles without refueling. That's about three times the distance from New York City to Lisbon, Portugal. It was retired from service in 1969, as commercial airfare had become the preferred way to travel.
In September, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania held a previous order for the ship to leave Pier 82 by Sept. 12, delaying the ship's eviction date while the conservancy dispute with the ship's landlord, Penn Warehousing, is mediated.