A legendary ocean liner is set to become the world's largest artificial reef: everything you need to know about its sinking

The SS United States, the fastest passenger ship in history, will be deliberately sunk this Wednesday, November 11, in the Gulf of Mexico. The operation will begin at 1:00 p.m. Central Time (8:00 p.m. in mainland Spain). It had been scheduled for Thursday, but Okaloosa County moved it up a day due to forecasts of strong winds and will proceed as long as weather conditions permit. The ship, which for years crossed the Atlantic between New York and major European ports, will become the world’s largest artificial reef.

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One Last Journey Under Towing

The ocean liner departed from Mobile (Alabama) on Monday, November 9, towed as a non-self-propelled vessel, bound for the site chosen for its sinking, 22 nautical miles (about 41 kilometers) southwest of Destin-Fort Walton Beach. There it will rest at a depth of about 55 meters. Its upper decks will be between 17 and 18 meters below the surface, within reach of recreational divers with open-water certification, according to the county’s Department of Tourism.

A team of about 30 people, led by Captain Tim Mullane, has been working for months in Mobile to get the hull ready for the sea. They removed more than 300 portholes, the four propellers, wiring, glass, plastic, and chemicals. According to the county, 128 fuel and lubricant tanks have been emptied, cleaned, and inspected.

The sinking will be controlled. According to the technical plan, 120 tanks will be filled with approximately 6.6 million liters of water, and holes will be cut in the hull so that the ship sinks in no more than 45 minutes. The county has reported that no explosives will be used. The Coast Guard has established a 100-yard (about 91-meter) safety zone around the ship and the towing vessels, with civil penalties of up to $117,608 (about 100,200 euros). It is also asking vessels not involved in the operation to remain at least one nautical mile away until the ship touches bottom.

The King of the Atlantic

Designed by naval architect William Francis Gibbs and built between 1950 and 1952 by Newport News, the SS United States was the largest ocean liner built entirely in the United States. At 990 feet (302 meters) in length, it is more than 30 meters longer than the Titanic. It also far exceeds the 270-meter-long USS Oriskany, which was sunk off the coast of Pensacola in 2006 and was, until now, the largest man-made shipwreck.

Its construction cost between $78 million and $79.4 million (between 66.4 million and 67.6 million euros), more than $900 million (about 767 million euros) in today’s dollars. Part of that cost was covered by the U.S. government, as the ship was also designed as a military asset. According to the Naval Historical Foundation, the Maritime Administration of the Department of Transportation, the Navy, and the company United States Lines jointly funded its construction. It was designed to be converted into a troop transport and carry up to 14,000 soldiers 10,000 miles (about 16,000 kilometers) without refueling, instead of its usual 1,900 or 2,000 passengers.

On its maiden voyage in 1952, it crossed the Atlantic in three days, ten hours, and 40 minutes—a record that remains unbroken by any passenger ship. For two decades, it was the most prestigious way to travel between continents. Four U.S. presidents (Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, and Bill Clinton) sailed on it, as did Marlon Brando, Sean Connery, Marilyn Monroe, Judy Garland, Prince Rainier of Monaco, and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.

Maritime historian Sal Mercogliano of Campbell University describes it as “the culmination of a centuries-long quest to conquer the North Atlantic and connect Europe and North America.” Its reign was brief. “Its fate was sealed in 1958 with the introduction of the commercial jet aircraft,” he explains. The ship was decommissioned in 1969.

A Second Life Under the Sea

After decades moored in various ports, in 2024 its owners had to choose between selling it for scrap or turning it into an artificial reef. Okaloosa County purchased it from the SS United States Conservancy for one million dollars (about 852,000 euros). Alex Fogg, the county’s chief of Natural Resources and leader of the initiative, explained that there was no funding or viable plan to restore it and return it to service, and that turning it into a reef was the best option. “It is, without a doubt, the Everest of projects,” he said.

The SS United States will be the 21st ship and the largest on the Northwest Florida Shipwreck Trail, which stretches about 240 kilometers along the coast between Pensacola and Port St. Joe. Officially established in 2012 to boost tourism following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the trail features shipwrecks dating back to 1942. Experts expect the hull, which retains 90% of its original integrity, to soon become the center of a thriving ecosystem. “Fish will begin to gather around a new artificial reef within a matter of hours or days,” said Michael Parsons, a professor of marine science at Florida Gulf Coast University.

The Conservancy is also planning a museum in Florida, near the departure points for diving excursions, featuring artifacts from the ship. The two large smokestacks, which have already been removed, will be part of the exhibition.

A Controversial Farewell

The sinking has not been without opposition. A lawsuit filed in early November by the SS United States Preservation Foundation was dismissed on November 6 by Federal Judge M. Casey Rodgers due to a lack of sworn affidavits and doubts about the plaintiffs’ standing. Environmental groups continue to warn that the steel’s primer could become toxic as it degrades underwater. The county responds that this coating is not federally regulated for reefs and that it has followed the guidelines of the EPA and the Maritime Administration.

The public will be able to follow the maneuver live on TheSSUS.com. Coleen O’Malley, co-founder of the company carrying out the operation, sums up the uniqueness of the moment: “There is no bigger project, and there will never be one like it because ships like this are no longer built.”