SS United States completes final voyage, sinks to Gulf floor to become artificial reef

Key Points:

• The historic SS United States, once the fastest ocean liner and longer than the Titanic, was deliberately sunk off the Florida Panhandle to become the world's largest artificial reef, aiming to attract divers and support marine life.
• The controlled sinking, part of a $13.5 million project, involved filling fuel tanks with water and removing smokestacks and portholes to ensure the ship would settle evenly on the ocean floor about 180 feet deep, with its top deck accessible to inexperienced divers.
• Built in the early 1950s, the SS United States set a transatlantic speed record on its maiden voyage and hosted notable passengers including U.S. presidents and Hollywood stars; it was decommissioned in 1969 and had been docked in Philadelphia before this reef project.
• Environmental and safety regulations prohibited the use of explosives in the sinking, which was moved up a day due to weather concerns, and the ship will rest near over 500 existing artificial reefs, including the USS Oriskany aircraft carrier reef nearby.
• The removal of the ship’s iconic smokestacks will allow them to serve as anchors for a new museum dedicated to the vessel, preserving parts of the ship as a tribute to its historical and technological significance.