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Okaloosa County to acquire SS United States for world’s largest artificial reef off Destin-Fort Walton Beach
Okaloosa County has signed an agreement to purchase the SS United States, the historic ocean liner that holds the record for the fastest Atlantic crossing, with plans to create the world’s largest artificial reef off the coast of Destin-Fort Walton Beach.
Jared Williams
August 30, 2024
6:24 am

Chuck Homler d/b/a FocusOnWildlife, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Okaloosa County has signed an agreement to purchase the SS United States, the historic ocean liner that holds the record for the fastest Atlantic crossing, with plans to create the world’s largest artificial reef off the coast of Destin-Fort Walton Beach.

The Okaloosa Board of County Commissioners will meet on Tuesday, September 3 at 3 p.m. to ratify the executed contract.
According to county documents, the Tourist Development Department is requesting approval for a budget allocation of up to $9 million for the acquisition, remediation, transport, and deployment of the SS United States. This project also includes plans for a land-based museum dedicated to the ship.

The SS United States, a 990-foot vessel launched in 1952, still holds the Blue Riband for the fastest transatlantic crossing by an ocean liner. Currently docked in Philadelphia, the ship faced legal challenges when a federal judge ruled on June 14, 2024, that it must vacate its location within 90 days.

This ruling has necessitated quick action to preserve the historic vessel.

Economic and Ecological Impact

SS United States, an ocean liner, docked in Philadelphia – Austin Murphy
The project is expected to have significant economic benefits. County documents cite the USS Oriskany, an 888-foot vessel sunk off Pensacola in 2006, as a comparison. The Oriskany attracts over 10,000 divers annually, generating approximately $3.6 million per year in direct spending as of 2015.

A University of Florida study estimates that every dollar spent on artificial reefs generates $7 in economic benefits for the local economy, with larger projects potentially yielding greater returns.

The county anticipates this project will attract higher-spending, lower-impact visitors beyond the traditional 100-day summer season.
Ecologically, the artificial reef will create new habitats for marine life, potentially increasing fish populations and biodiversity. This is expected to benefit both commercial and recreational fishing in the area.

The increased fish populations and improved catches are anticipated to attract more recreational anglers, who contribute to the local economy through spending on equipment, boat rentals, fuel, and charters.

Project Details
The county has identified three active permitted areas (Large Area Artificial Reef Sites A, B and C) that can accommodate the SS United States, all less than 25 miles from shore. These sites offer depths and clearance requirements suitable for divers of various skill levels, from beginners to technical divers.

Of the $9 million budget, $1 million is allocated for the ship’s purchase. The county has until September 12 to complete due diligence, which began in early August. Closing is set to occur on or before October 4, 2024.

An agreement with the pier operator must be entered into by October 4, with the goal of completing this sooner.
The SS United States Conservancy, the current owner, has committed to developing a land-based museum in conjunction with the artificial reef, which would serve to continue the iconic vessel’s legacy and provide non-divers the opportunity to learn about “America’s Flagship” and its rich history.

Okaloosa County will provide up to $1 million for museum-related costs, including property purchase, construction, or renovation of an existing building/property for the museum and its exhibits.

The details of the museum project and terms of an agreement are to be separately developed and negotiated within twelve months of the SS United States purchase.
Timeline and Next Steps

Lowlova, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
If approved on September 3, the county will proceed with finalizing agreements for remediation, transport, deployment, and museum development. Environmental due diligence is ongoing, with initial test results described as favorable.

County staff have identified potential funding partners and expect significant cost-sharing to reduce the overall expense. To date, they believe they have secured $5 million in partnership contributions.

All future contracts and funding agreements will be presented to the Board for consideration and approval in accordance with established thresholds.
Comparison to USS Oriskany
At 990 feet, the SS United States would surpass the USS Oriskany (888 feet) as the world’s largest intentional artificial reef. The Oriskany, sunk in 2006, continues to attract divers and generate economic benefits nearly two decades later.

Okaloosa County aims to build on this success, positioning Destin-Fort Walton Beach as a premier destination for diving and marine tourism.
The presence of two of the world’s largest artificial reefs in northwest Florida is expected to solidify the region’s status as a top destination for scuba diving and fishing activities.

Historical Significance

MICHAEL MUCHMORE, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The SS United States, known as “America’s Flagship,” represents a pinnacle of American naval engineering. It was designed to be convertible to a troop ship if needed, capable of transporting 14,000 troops for 10,000 miles without refueling. The ship set speed records on its maiden voyage in 1952, using only two-thirds of its power.

Built as part of a top-secret Cold War program, the SS United States was designed to be the world’s fastest and safest ship. Its true performance figures were kept secret for many years, but it’s known that on sea trials, it achieved a speed of over 38 knots (about 44 miles per hour).

The ship carried four U.S. presidents and numerous celebrities during its service life.
With the acquisition of the SS United States, Okaloosa County aims to preserve a piece of maritime history while creating a unique attraction that could significantly boost the local economy and marine ecosystem.

When deployed, this project would cement Destin-Fort Walton Beach’s status as home to the world’s largest artificial reef, continuing its reputation as a premier fishing destination and further establishing it as the dive capital of Florida and the artificial reef capital of the United States.

MikeKozlowski wrote: ↑Fri Aug 30, 2024 9:26 pm The last real opportunity would have been in the 80s to have brought her back as a troop ship or command ship, but that would have only been a brief reprieve.

David Newton wrote: ↑Sat Aug 31, 2024 1:12 am The only time that troop ships have been used since 1980 was the Falklands War. That on account of no landing strip at the destination to accept aircraft!

The Fate of the ‘Most Famous Ship that Didn’t Sink’ Unclear, Plans for SS United States Stalled
By John Grady
September 6, 2024

The world’s fastest ocean liner’s days are numbered at the Philadelphia pier where it has been berthed for decades. Whether the nonprofit that owns SS United States can find a new location for the liner, launched with great fanfare in June 1951 into Virginia’s James River, by Sept. 12 is an open question.

Even the option of sinking the 900-foot-long liner – larger than Titanic – to turn it into the world’s largest fishing and diving reef off the Florida Gulf coast, is now in limbo. The Oskaloosa County Board of Commissioners delayed a vote on its budget Tuesday that would have met the court-set deadline for the ship to leave or pay Penn Warehousing’s higher rental fees, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

The county would pay $9 million to buy, move and then sink the liner to become the reef off Fort Walton Beach-Destin, Fla. The ship no longer has a working propulsion system. Much of the expense would be put toward environmental cleaning to make the hull safe for the reef project.

United States, which was built to double as a high-speed troop transport, has not sailed the Atlantic since the late 1960s after jet travel sent the luxury passenger liner market into steep decline.

The newspaper quoted Nick Tomecek, Okaloosa County’s public information officer, saying the county is working with the SS United States Conservancy, and “until a deal is finalized it would be inappropriate to make any additional comment.”

The other option would be to sell SS United States for scrap.

Efforts by USNI News for further comments from the conservancy were unsuccessful.

The ship’s length makes finding another temporary berthing site difficult. Sites at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, Maryland and Virginia already have been ruled out as not large enough.

The conservancy’s goal of converting the ship into a museum and hotel is also on hold.

“There are multiple discussions underway and many unresolved matters that make the outcome and timing uncertain at this point,” read a conservancy statement on Instagram last week.

The Florida-based Get the Coast online news site reported the conservancy is committed “to developing a land-based museum in conjunction with the artificial reef, which would serve to continue the iconic vessel’s legacy and provide non-divers the opportunity to learn about ‘America’s Flagship’ and its rich history.”

The county will provide up to $1 million for museum-related costs, including property purchase, construction or renovation of an existing building or property for the museum and its exhibits. The report added details of the museum project and terms of an agreement are to be separately developed and negotiated within 12 months of the ship’s purchase.

The county identified three locations for the reef site between 25 and 30 miles off the coast.

In 2016, the conservancy received 600 important artifacts of artwork, furniture, fittings and documents from the Mariner’s Museum in Newport News and Colonial Williamsburg for its collection and a future museum.

SS United States was christened on June 23, 1951, on a sweltering early summer day by Lucille Connally, wife of Texas Sen. Tom Connally. The traditional champagne bottle breaking took place at Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co. ”as more than 20,000 persons, waving small American flags, sent up a mighty cheer.” An additional 20,000-plus were gathered along the massive dry dock where the liner was built.

The Daily Press reported that shipyard officials said the crowd’s size was held down by the near 100-degree temperature and television broadcasting of the christening.

SS United States was built for the dual purpose of fast, safe, luxurious ocean travel across the Atlantic and for the fast transport of U.S. troops across any ocean. The commercial contractor was U.S. Lines and the original contract with Newport News was let in 1949 for more than $67 million. Design work at Gibbs & Cox on the “super liner” started three years earlier in partnership with the federal government.

“The U.S. Government worked in conjunction with the United States Lines to develop a ‘super ship’ to be part Cold War weapon and part luxury ocean liner. The top-secret Pentagon project produced the fastest, safest and most advanced vessel ever constructed,” reads a 2022 post from Norfolk Naval Shipyard.
“The ship could be quickly converted into a troop carrier able to transport 15,000 military service members for 10,000 miles without refueling, and do it faster than any other ship before or since. Due to its hidden military objective, the construction of the ship was shrouded in secrecy.”

The ship delivered in 1,215 days.

As The Daily Press editorialized the day the liner was christened:

“The unsinkable ship never has been built, but the United States has later and improved safety precautions built into her hull. She was designed to withstand some degree of enemy attack if the time should come when she must be a military transport.”

The editorial writers missed its wartime importance. The liner was capable of sustaining 35 knots for 12 days without refueling. Better yet, it would need only 48 hours to be converted to military service. It could carry 18,000 troops.

In contrast, the British troop transport and ocean liner Queen Mary carried 15,000 troops per crossing to Europe in World War II.

William Francis Gibbs, educated as a lawyer at Harvard and Columbia, designed SS United States. By the early 1950s, he was already world famous for his ship designs, and he and his brother’s firm are credited with providing three-quarters of the designs for the nation’s World War II ships.

If a new berthing site is not found, SS United States may no longer be able to claim the title “Most Famous Ship that Didn’t Sink.”

James1978 wrote: ↑Sat Sep 07, 2024 4:07 am

The Fate of the ‘Most Famous Ship that Didn’t Sink’ Unclear, Plans for SS United States Stalled
By John Grady
September 6, 2024

The world’s fastest ocean liner’s days are numbered at the Philadelphia pier where it has been berthed for decades. Whether the nonprofit that owns SS United States can find a new location for the liner, launched with great fanfare in June 1951 into Virginia’s James River, by Sept. 12 is an open question.

Even the option of sinking the 900-foot-long liner – larger than Titanic – to turn it into the world’s largest fishing and diving reef off the Florida Gulf coast, is now in limbo. The Oskaloosa County Board of Commissioners delayed a vote on its budget Tuesday that would have met the court-set deadline for the ship to leave or pay Penn Warehousing’s higher rental fees, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

The county would pay $9 million to buy, move and then sink the liner to become the reef off Fort Walton Beach-Destin, Fla. The ship no longer has a working propulsion system. Much of the expense would be put toward environmental cleaning to make the hull safe for the reef project.

United States, which was built to double as a high-speed troop transport, has not sailed the Atlantic since the late 1960s after jet travel sent the luxury passenger liner market into steep decline.

The newspaper quoted Nick Tomecek, Okaloosa County’s public information officer, saying the county is working with the SS United States Conservancy, and “until a deal is finalized it would be inappropriate to make any additional comment.”

The other option would be to sell SS United States for scrap.

Efforts by USNI News for further comments from the conservancy were unsuccessful.

The ship’s length makes finding another temporary berthing site difficult. Sites at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, Maryland and Virginia already have been ruled out as not large enough.

The conservancy’s goal of converting the ship into a museum and hotel is also on hold.

“There are multiple discussions underway and many unresolved matters that make the outcome and timing uncertain at this point,” read a conservancy statement on Instagram last week.

The Florida-based Get the Coast online news site reported the conservancy is committed “to developing a land-based museum in conjunction with the artificial reef, which would serve to continue the iconic vessel’s legacy and provide non-divers the opportunity to learn about ‘America’s Flagship’ and its rich history.”

The county will provide up to $1 million for museum-related costs, including property purchase, construction or renovation of an existing building or property for the museum and its exhibits. The report added details of the museum project and terms of an agreement are to be separately developed and negotiated within 12 months of the ship’s purchase.

The county identified three locations for the reef site between 25 and 30 miles off the coast.

In 2016, the conservancy received 600 important artifacts of artwork, furniture, fittings and documents from the Mariner’s Museum in Newport News and Colonial Williamsburg for its collection and a future museum.

SS United States was christened on June 23, 1951, on a sweltering early summer day by Lucille Connally, wife of Texas Sen. Tom Connally. The traditional champagne bottle breaking took place at Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co. ”as more than 20,000 persons, waving small American flags, sent up a mighty cheer.” An additional 20,000-plus were gathered along the massive dry dock where the liner was built.

The Daily Press reported that shipyard officials said the crowd’s size was held down by the near 100-degree temperature and television broadcasting of the christening.

SS United States was built for the dual purpose of fast, safe, luxurious ocean travel across the Atlantic and for the fast transport of U.S. troops across any ocean. The commercial contractor was U.S. Lines and the original contract with Newport News was let in 1949 for more than $67 million. Design work at Gibbs & Cox on the “super liner” started three years earlier in partnership with the federal government.

“The U.S. Government worked in conjunction with the United States Lines to develop a ‘super ship’ to be part Cold War weapon and part luxury ocean liner. The top-secret Pentagon project produced the fastest, safest and most advanced vessel ever constructed,” reads a 2022 post from Norfolk Naval Shipyard.
“The ship could be quickly converted into a troop carrier able to transport 15,000 military service members for 10,000 miles without refueling, and do it faster than any other ship before or since. Due to its hidden military objective, the construction of the ship was shrouded in secrecy.”

The ship delivered in 1,215 days.

As The Daily Press editorialized the day the liner was christened:

“The unsinkable ship never has been built, but the United States has later and improved safety precautions built into her hull. She was designed to withstand some degree of enemy attack if the time should come when she must be a military transport.”

The editorial writers missed its wartime importance. The liner was capable of sustaining 35 knots for 12 days without refueling. Better yet, it would need only 48 hours to be converted to military service. It could carry 18,000 troops.

In contrast, the British troop transport and ocean liner Queen Mary carried 15,000 troops per crossing to Europe in World War II.

William Francis Gibbs, educated as a lawyer at Harvard and Columbia, designed SS United States. By the early 1950s, he was already world famous for his ship designs, and he and his brother’s firm are credited with providing three-quarters of the designs for the nation’s World War II ships.

If a new berthing site is not found, SS United States may no longer be able to claim the title “Most Famous Ship that Didn’t Sink.”

SS United States says pier landlord thwarted relocation efforts, tried to sell ship
By FOX 29 Staff and Greg Payne
Published September 12, 2024

PHILADELPHIA - The SS United States Conservancy, a non-profit organization that oversees the historic ship docked in Philadelphia, filed an "urgent motion" accusing their landlord of interfering with efforts to relocate the ship and trying to sell the vessel despite not owning it.

Earlier this month, it was reported that the SS United States could become part of "the world's largest artificial reef" as part of an agreement signed by Okaloosa County, Florida officials. The 1,000 foot ocean liner was ordered to leave its birthplace on the Delaware River by September 12 after "decades of decay."

"Reefing is not the Conservancy’s preferred scenario for the SS United States. In an intense and all-hands-on-deck effort to keep the ship safely afloat, we have conducted a massive nationwide search for a new temporary location — a search that has thus far yielded no viable alternatives," a statement to supporters read.

"With our hand being forced by Penn Warehousing, and scrapping being the only other viable option, we believe reefing is the more dignified outcome."

Up against the deadline on Thursday, the SS United States Conservancy filed a motion in U.S. District Court for Eastern Pennsylvania against Penn Warehousing, alleging they blocked their efforts to relocate the vessel and tried to "advance a scheme to seize America's Flagship for its own financial benefit."

They say Penn Warehousing demanded $3M from the Conservancy and from Okaloosa County, and blocked a contract for the sale of the SS United States. It's further alleged that Penn Warehousing attempted to negotiate its own sale of the SS United States, even though they don't own it.

"We’ve been dealing with the impacts of Penn Warehousing’s underhanded tactics for some time, but the revelation that they attempted to negotiate the sale of the ship without our knowledge or authorization is upsetting," Conservancy President Susan Gibbs said.

"It is more proof that Penn Warehousing has engaged in a deliberate pattern of behavior intended to force the Conservancy’s default, and seize the SS United States, so that they can sell the historic ship for their own financial gain."

Gibbs, the granddaughter of the ship's designer, William Francis Gibbs, added that Penn Warehousing admitted at trial to doubling the ship's rent in what she called "a deliberate attempt to force the vessel off her pier."

She added that Penn Warehousing has tried to circumvent the court's order by interfering with alternative arrangements with willing partners in an effort to seize the ship. Gibbs claims Penn Warehousing made several "unfounded claims," including the assertion that the ship is causing damage to the pier.

"We have laid out our case in court filings, and we hope that justice will prevail," she said.

Christened in 1952, the SS United States was once considered a beacon of American engineering, doubling as a military vessel that could carry thousands of troops.

On its maiden voyage, it shattered the transatlantic speed record in both directions, when it reached an average speed of 36 knots, or just over 41 mph.

The ship crossed the Atlantic in three days, 10 hours and 40 minutes, besting the RMS Queen Mary's time by 10 hours. To this day, the SS United States holds the transatlantic speed record for an ocean liner.

She became a reserve ship in 1969, spending her retirement years on Philadelphia's Delaware waterfront.

SS United States Conservancy files motion to keep ship docked in Philadelphia until December
By Alexandra Simon, Adam Fox, Joe Holden - CBS Philadelphia
September 12, 2024

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The nonprofit that owns the SS United States has filed a motion that, if approved, would keep the vessel docked in South Philadelphia until December 2024.

The motion filed Wednesday in the U.S. District Court of Eastern Pennsylvania on behalf of the SS United States Conservancy alleges that Penn Warehousing, which owns the pier where the vessel is docked, has been acting in "bad faith" and preventing the organization from removing the ship.

According to the court documents, the Conservancy accuses Penn Warehousing of failing to honor a deal that allowed the nonprofit to enter a purchase and sale agreement with Okaloosa County, Florida, which would remove the ship from Philadelphia and sink it off the coast of Florida to create an artificial reef.

The motion alleges Penn Warehousing "failed to honor its representations" to the court that it would enter a deal with the Conservancy and Okaloosa County to keep the ship docked at Pier 82 until Dec. 5 and the end of hurricane season.

The Conservancy's motion claims that if a $3 million penalty is not paid to Penn Warehousing by Sept. 12, the pier operator will "arrest the ship" and "sell it to the highest bidder."

Penn Warehousing is expected to file an answer to that motion Thursday night denying the claims made by the Conservancy.

On Thursday morning, the court called a hearing for Friday morning to discuss the motion and December eviction deadline.

A federal judge previously sided with Penn Warehousing that the once-great ocean liner can't stay at Pier 82 in South Philadelphia past Sept. 12. Court documents said Penn Warehousing had warned the SS United States Conservancy, which oversees the vessel, it was prepared to impose a $3 million penalty if the ship is there on Sept. 13.

Ahead of the Sept. 12 deadline, attorneys for Penn Warehousing told CBS News Philadelphia's Joe Holden they were "almost completely in the dark" about how the Conservancy planned to comply with the court order, and were "extremely frustrated."

In August, CBS News Philadelphia learned that the SS US could be sunk off the coast of Florida, and that the Okaloosa County Board of Commissioners was expected to take up the matter at a meeting in early September.

At that Sept. 5 meeting, the board postponed voting on whether the ship would be taken there and sunk off the coast as an artificial reef. County Administrator John Hofstad said the county "hit a wrinkle" with their pier operators, and asked for the vote to pushed two weeks until Tuesday, Sept. 17.

Following that meeting, sources told CBS News Philadelphia that any plans to move the ship are complicated. Because the SS United States is so tall, sources said the ship would come within "feet" of the Walt Whitman Bridge deck, and navigation would need to be timed for the lowest tide. Meetings about traffic on the bridge and in the shipping channel still have to happen.

Sources also told CBS News Philadelphia the journey to the Gulf of Mexico would depend on possible storms forming during hurricane season.

Docked in South Philadelphia since 1996, the SS United States was considered in its heyday as "the most powerful, modern, and advanced passenger liner ever built," according to the SS United States Conservancy. Designed in the late 1940s, the SS US was intended to quickly move troops in the event of war but instead became a cruise liner.

The ship hit the high seas in 1952 and crisscrossed the Atlantic for 17 years, carrying presidents, dignitaries and entertainers.

The SS United States Conservancy has been working to save the vessel and raise more than $500,000 to help with relocation and other costs.

Some of the ship's admirers gathered in South Philly Thursday, where they could see it from behind a fence.

"I love American history, and just look at it, it is quintessential American history, industrial life," Hayden Lupton, of Pilesgrove, said. "To get rid of it would be a crime."

Louis Pearlman Sullivan was painting the ship.

"We treat our history like it's trash — and that's what they're going to do," Pearlman Sullivan said, "they're going to dump it in the ocean."

Rocket J Squrriel wrote: ↑Fri Sep 13, 2024 9:32 pm I admire the Conservancy's dedication but the money and interest for what they want to do is not there. The ship needs to be taken away from them and finally put to rest.

Plan Approved to Turn SS United States into World’s Largest Artificial Reef
October 1, 2024
By The Maritime Executive

The famed ocean liner s.s. United States is one step closer to becoming the world’s largest artificial reef as the purchase of the vessel was approved by the Okaloosa County Board of County Commissioners in Florida today. They have agreed to pay $1 million to acquire the vessel and expect to close on the acquisition in the coming days or weeks.

The sale of the ship ends a 55-year effort to determine her fate after she was retired from passenger service in 1969. A non-profit, the SS United States Conservancy has owned her since 2011 exploring opportunities to repurpose the ship. They decided after being ordered to vacate their current pier in Philadelphia that reefing the ship was preferable to scrapping.

“The Conservancy explored a number of other options prior to coming to the artificial reef decision,” Alex Fogg, Natural Resources Chief for Okaloosa Country told the board in his presentation. He had previously said the country was looking at the ship for two years as part of its plan to enhance tourism and attract the dive community to the area around Destin – Fort Walton Beach, in Florida’s panhandle region.

“They (SS United States Conservancy) looked at making this potentially a pier-side entertainment center, apartments, restaurants, and a bunch of different options. The costs were very, very expensive and they weren’t able to find an investor that would follow through with that option,” said Fogg.

The acquisition remains contingent on resolving a court-ordered mediation in Philadelphia between the current owners and Penn Warehousing, which operates the pier. In the briefing for the country board, it says a tentative agreement calls for the country to assume the rent payments at $3,400 per day as of September 12 and a $50,000 initial upfront payment. They will also pay a portion of the expected repairs to the pier and agreed to a $100,000 penalty if the ship is not removed by December 12.

Today’s vote authorized the purchase contract to proceed along with a conservative budget of $10 million. Once taking title, the plan calls for the s.s. United States to be towed to Norfolk, Virginia for remediation. This includes removing fuel from her tanks, cleaning the tanks, scraping paint and loose material, removing PCBs, flooring, windows, portholes, and other contaminants.

The vessel will lose her distinctive profile as the two massive funnels will be removed, with at least one stored for possible display at a future museum. Also, the mast will be removed. The county expects it will spend approximately $5 million with the remainder coming from private partners. It will take an estimated 180 to 230 days to prepare the ship.

The county justifies the project citing a potential $3 million annual economic benefit from the reefing project. While the final position has not been determined, the plan is to have the ship at a depth so that the upper deck would be accessible to novice and beginning divers and the lower area to technical divers.

Long-term supporters of the ship consider it a tragic end to one of the most iconic symbols of American technology and the heyday of Atlantic travel. The county refers to the ship as the “pinnacle of American post-war maritime engineering.” Last-minute appeals to save the ship were unsuccessful.

The Conservancy says the loss of the dock in Philadelphia forced its hand. Without a development partner, unable to secure a new berth, and facing significant costs they were forced to seek a buyer. They, however, highlight that Okaloosa County agreed to provide $1 million to help establish a museum about the ship which will tell the story. In addition to the funnels, they have agreed to remove from the ship a propeller, the builder’s plate, and other significant elements for possible use in the museum.

Completed in 1952, the s.s. United States was the fastest ocean liner traveling during her trials at a reported speed of over 38 knots, while many believe she achieved 40 knots or more during trials. During her service career, she never ran at full speed, including during her record-breaking maiden voyage. Her construction was heavily subsidized by the U.S. Government with the promise she could be quickly converted to carry 14,000 troops 10,000 miles without refueling. Designed by America’s foremost naval architect, William Francis Gibbs, she used technology similar to U.S. warships giving her power and speed as well as the highest level of safety features. Gibbs, fearful of fire at sea, also insisted the vessel be outfitted with no wood aboard in the passenger areas.

The s.s. United States was in commercial service for just 17 years mostly making Atlantic crossings and in the 1960s added a few cruises to her annual program. With competition growing from jets and the loss of a U.S. contract to transport military families and diplomats, the ship was losing money and retired in 1969. Acquired and later sold by the U.S. government, a series of owners looked for ways to reactivate the ship or convert her into a shoreside attraction. She becomes the first ocean liner to be purposefully sunk to become a reef. Deployment is projected for 2025 or 2026.