A vessel once the fastest liner on the open ocean, built with the pride of a nation in the early 1950s, is being brought to rest on purpose, not broken up for scrap. Off Florida's Panhandle, the SS United States will be let slowly into the Gulf of Mexico, where it will become a home for fish and a destination for divers. It is a small human choice to give a great machine a second life as something other than a memory, and it reflects a wish to be remembered not only for what was lost but for what can still grow around it.
Once the Fastest Ship on the Seas, the SS United States Will Become the World's Largest Artificial Reef
Longer than the Titanic, and once faster than any ship on the ocean
Mark
Why does a ship this famous end up sunk instead of preserved intact?
Mimi
The story points to years of failed plans. A hotel magnate and Norwegian Cruise Lines both tried to find a use for her, and neither worked. She sat at a Philadelphia dock from 1996 until recently.
Luke
Worth noting the reporting doesn't say what the alternatives cost, or why the scrapping threat was imminent. We know the reef project costs US$13.5 million. We don't know how that compares.
Mark
How do you sink a ship that size without explosives?
Mimi
You let the sea in. Tanks tied to the boiler cooling system were removed, so opening the valves floods the hull. Workers also cut three-by-three-metre holes in the decks and pulled more than 400 portholes.
Luke
And the reason given for no explosives is federal environmental and explosives rules, per the county spokesperson. That's one official's account of the constraint.
Mark
What is the reef supposed to do?
Mimi
Attract divers and anglers, and create habitat for tuna, marlin and swordfish. The top deck will sit about 18 metres down, so beginners can visit.
Luke
Careful with the fish. That's the stated aim. Nothing here shows the ecological results yet, and the economic draw is also a hope, not a measurement.
Mark
What survives above water?
Mimi
The two 20-metre smokestacks, which are planned to anchor a museum about the ship.
Luke
Planned is the word. No timeline or funding for the museum appears in the reporting.
The Pulse
- A ship longer than the Titanic is set to be sunk within days, and the timing has already shifted because of threatening weather.
- No explosives may be used, so the liner must be filled slowly through its opened hull and valves, a deliberate and careful descent.
- Organizers are racing to make the wreck a magnet for divers and anglers, promising habitat for tuna, marlin and swordfish.
- The hull will settle about 55 metres down, with its top deck close enough for newcomers to reach, while its smokestacks rise again as a museum anchor on land.
A vessel once the fastest liner on the open ocean, built with the pride of a nation in the early 1950s, is being brought to rest on purpose, not broken up for scrap. Off Florida's Panhandle, the SS United States will be let slowly into the Gulf of Mexico, where it will become a home for fish and a destination for divers. It is a small human choice to give a great machine a second life as something other than a memory, and it reflects a wish to be remembered not only for what was lost but for what can still grow around it.
A ship longer than the Titanic, once faster than any other on the ocean, is due to go down on a Wednesday in the Gulf of Mexico. The SS United States, a 302-metre liner launched in the early 1950s, is being sunk off the Florida Panhandle to become the largest artificial reef in the world. The US$13.5 million project has been planned for years, and officials moved the date up a day because of bad weather.
The ship will not be blown apart. Federal rules keep the county and its contractor from using explosives, so workers removed the cooling tanks and cut large openings in the decks. When the valves open, seawater will pour into the hull and bring it down about 55 metres, close enough to the surface that inexperienced divers can visit. The hope is that it will draw visitors and give tuna, marlin and swordfish a new place to live.
The liner was built by more than 3,000 workers in Virginia and carried 1,700 passengers on its maiden voyage in 1952. It once crossed the Atlantic more than 800 times, carrying film stars, presidents and a young Bill Clinton. After decommissioning in 1969 and years at a Philadelphia dock, its survival was secured by people who did not want it lost forever. Its designer's granddaughter said she was glad parts of it would be saved.
The smokestacks have been removed and will anchor a museum celebrating the ship, while the hull goes to the bottom of the Gulf.
A ship longer than the Titanic, and once faster than any other on the ocean, is due to go down on a Wednesday in the Gulf of Mexico. The SS United States, a 302-metre liner launched in the early 1950s, is being sunk off the Florida Panhandle to become the largest artificial reef in the world. The project costs US$13.5 million and has been planned for a long time.
The hope is that the wreck will draw divers and fishing enthusiasts to the area and give tuna, marlin and swordfish a place to live. It also spares the ship from the scrapyard. Officials in Okaloosa County, Florida, moved the sinking up by a day because of concerns about bad weather.
The ship will not be blown apart. Nick Tomecek, the county's spokesperson, said federal environmental and explosives rules keep the county and its contractor from using explosives. Instead, the ship has pipes that once drew seawater into tanks as part of the system cooling its boilers. Those tanks have been removed, so when the valves are opened, water will pour into the hull. Workers have also cut openings three metres by three metres in the decks, and more than 400 portholes have been taken out.
The liner will settle in about 55 metres of water roughly 40 kilometres southwest of Destin, between Panama City and Pensacola. Its top deck will sit about 18 metres below the surface, shallow enough for inexperienced divers to reach. About 500 artificial reefs already lie in nearby waters. The previous record-holder was the aircraft carrier USS Oriskany, scuttled in 2006 in the Gulf off Pensacola. It was launched in 1950 and measures 278 metres. It is close enough that an experienced diver could visit both wrecks in one day, Tomecek said. "We're trying to be the best diving destination in the world," he said.
More than 3,000 workers built the SS United States in Virginia in 1950 and 1951. On its maiden voyage in 1952 it carried 1,700 passengers, among them an Associated Press reporter and Margaret Truman, daughter of President Harry Truman. It averaged almost 66 kilometres per hour, beating the record set by Britain's RMS Queen Mary in 1938 by 7.2 kilometres per hour. The AP reported that the crossing ended in a full gale of 111 kilometres per hour, so strong it blew a ping-pong table off the deck.
Over its career the liner crossed the Atlantic more than 800 times. Its passengers included Grace Kelly and Elizabeth Taylor, President John F. Kennedy and Britain's former King Edward VIII. In 1968 a young Bill Clinton sailed on it to attend Oxford University, decades before he became president. Dinners aboard featured caviar, roast duckling, smoked ox tongue and Calf's Head en Tortue.
The ship was decommissioned in 1969. Later plans to put it to use, including efforts by a hotel magnate and by Norwegian Cruise Lines, never got anywhere. From 1996 until recently it sat at a dock in Philadelphia. David Lawrence, a board member of the SS United States Conservancy, said the goal was to make sure the ship was not lost forever. Susan Gibbs, granddaughter of the ship's designer, said it represents pride, resilience, strength and beauty, and that she is happy parts of it could be saved.
Some of it will go on above water. Organizers removed the ship's 20-metre smokestacks before the sinking, and they plan to use them to anchor a new museum celebrating the liner. The hull, meanwhile, will go to the bottom of the Gulf.
Notable Quotes
It was our goal to make sure that she wasn't lost forever.— David Lawrence, board member, SS United States Conservancy
We're trying to be the best diving destination in the world.— Nick Tomecek, Okaloosa County spokesperson
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