The SS United States — the fastest ocean liner ever built, a ship that carried presidents and movie stars and still holds the transatlantic speed record from 1952 — is scheduled to be deliberately sunk off Florida's Gulf Coast in the second week of November, where it will become the world's largest artificial reef.
Authorities in Okaloosa County expect the vessel to be submerged about 22 nautical miles (41 kilometers) southwest of Destin-Fort Walton Beach, though the exact date depends on weather conditions. The county's Board of Commissioners confirmed the window on October 9, 2026.
"This is an exciting move forward to create a one-of-a-kind resource for the environment and for our tourism industry," county officials said in a news release.
The fastest crossing in history
Measuring nearly 1,000 feet (305 meters) long, the SS United States made history on her maiden voyage in July 1952 by breaking the transatlantic speed record, crossing in 3 days, 10 hours and 40 minutes to win the Blue Riband — beating the record set by Britain's RMS Queen Mary 14 years earlier by 10 hours and two minutes. She averaged about 35.6 knots, and no traditional ocean liner has beaten that record since.
Built in 1951, the ship was designed to serve as both a luxury passenger vessel and a military transport if needed. She carried American figures including former President John F. Kennedy, Walt Disney, Debbie Reynolds and Marlon Brando, and appeared in the films Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, starring Marilyn Monroe, and West Side Story.
The rise of commercial air travel ended her ocean-going career in 1969. She was laid up in Norfolk, Virginia until 1992, had her asbestos linings removed at a shipyard in Ukraine, and then spent almost three decades slowly deteriorating at a mooring in Philadelphia. In 2011 she was bought by the SS United States Conservancy, which planned to redevelop her as a luxury waterfront development — a plan that never came together.
A reef, a museum, and a fight that is not over
All remediation work on the ship is now complete, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has issued its final approval for the sinking, with no opposition from the Environmental Protection Agency. The uppermost deck of the ship is expected to sit about 55 feet underwater. According to the Conservancy, the reefing process will be live-streamed.
Supporters hope the ship will become a signature diving attraction among the more than 500 artificial reefs in the region, covered in barnacles and marine life, and generate millions of dollars a year in local tourism for scuba diving shops, fishing charter operators and hotels. The Conservancy is also planning a land-based museum near the departure points for diving tours, displaying the ship's six-story funnels, radar mast and other salvaged artifacts.
Not everyone is celebrating. A coalition of preservationists continues to oppose the plan. The New York Coalition to Save the SS United States described the ship's dismantling as "a slap in the face to the countless citizens — across all 50 states and around the world."
For now, the countdown is on: after 74 years, the fastest liner ever built is about to make her final voyage — straight down, to the bottom of the Gulf.
Fuentes: AP via TBS News, DIVE Magazine, CruiseHive, CruiseNews, Internewscast.