In a hilariously ironic turn of events, Okaloosa County, Florida, sank the SS United States to the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico on Veteran’s Day, turning it into the world’s largest artificial reef to provide shelter for local marine life in the wake of human-caused coral reef decimation in the area. The SS United States is longer than the Titanic, measuring 990 feet from bow to stern and 17 stories in height. It was once the fastest ocean liner in the world, known for carrying royalty and celebrities between the U.S. and Europe from its maiden voyage in 1952 to its retirement in 1969.
It actually still holds the record for the world’s fastest trans-Atlantic ocean liner, accomplishing the trek in 3 days, 10 hours, and 40 minutes at an average speed of 35.59 knots, and it achieved top speeds of over 38.3 knots, or 44 mph, during trials. This serves as a reminder that even once-great nations — er, ships — can find themselves fallen so far from their former glory that they are better off being totally gutted and sank to the bottom of the ocean rather than wasting time and resources attempting to resuscitate them only for them to still be outdated and irrelevant in a modern world.
Okaloosa County had ulterior motives beyond habitat restoration, unsurprisingly
The SS United States was originally designed to be converted from luxury ocean liner to troop transport vessel in the event of war like the also-retired Queen Mary was, with the ability to carry 14,000 troops 10,000 miles without refueling, though the SS United States never actually faced wartime use. It was powered by four Westinghouse 1,000-psi steam turbines and eight boilers, which combined to produce a mind-boggling total power output of 240,000 horsepower.
Following the ship’s retirement in 1969, the SS United States, “spent its years haunting old shipyards while failed plans to restore it came and went” according to Northeastern Global News. Okaloosa County bought the vessel in 2024 after it faced a court-ordered eviction from its prior docking point at Pier 82 along the Delaware River in South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where it stayed for nearly three decades.
Okaloosa County chose to sink the ship in its waters to attract tourism from divers, as its top funnels should be easily accessible at just 55 feet below the surface, while its keel will be at a depth of 180 feet. Prior to this, the largest artificial reef on the planet was the 910-foot-long USS Oriskany, which was a U.S. warship that was intentionally sunk in 2006. The SS United States Conservancy plans to commemorate the remarkable ship by constructing a museum and visitor’s center in Florida.
