The SS United States, an ocean liner that was once the fastest on sea, will soon hold a new title, becoming the world’s largest artificial reef off the coast of the Florida peninsula. It is being intentionally sunk at this time and will eventually come to rest at the bottom of the Gulf, about 25 miles southwest of Destin-Fort Walton Beach, between Panama City and Pensacola, in Okaloosa County. Authorities brought forward the sinking date by one day due to weather conditions. It’s the end of an era for the iconic ship. After being retired for more than 50 years and several failed restoration plans, Okaloosa County officials purchased the ship in 2024 in an effort to give it new life. The 990-foot-long ship spent nearly three decades docked along the Delaware River shoreline in Philadelphia before departing last year for Alabama, where crews have been preparing it for its next role as an artificial reef. for tuna, marlin and swordfish. The SS United States crossed the Atlantic more than 800 times, transporting old Hollywood stars such as Grace Kelly and Elizabeth Taylor. Other passengers included presidents Harry Truman, Dwight Eisehhower and John F. Kennedy and former King Edward VIII of Great Britain. In 1968, a young Bill Clinton took it when he went to Oxford University, decades before he was elected president. It’s the end of an era for the iconic ship as the SS United States prepares to become the world’s largest artificial reef.
