By Eric Conklin,nj.com, and Virginia Media staff
Officials inOkaloosa County, Florida, are moving ahead withplans to sink the SS United States, a historic ocean liner docked inSouth Philadelphia, turning it into the world’s largest artificial reef.
Known as “America’s Flagship,” the SS United States was built at Newport News Shipbuilding and delivered in 1952. With lots of aluminum in its structure, the vessel was only half the tonnage of a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier of today.
But it had powerful steam-driven turbines that produced 242,000 horsepower — and high speeds.
On its maiden voyage in 1952, the SS United States broke the Queen Mary’s trans-Atlantic speed record, set 14 years before. It crossed the North Atlantic in three days, 10 hours and 40 minutes, besting the RMS Queen Mary’s time by 10 hours.A catamaran ferry broke that record in 1990, though the United States still holds the record for an ocean liner.
The ocean liner was retired from service in 1969 and ended up in Philadelphia in the mid-1990s. It has been the subject of many hopes for revival over the past several decades.
In what its many boosters term a tragic event, the ship was stripped of many of its onboard parts in a government auction in 1984. Many of the ship’s artifacts were sold on eBay. Some glass panels are on display at museums, including some at The Mariners’ Museum in Newport News. Its silverware and flatware were featured at a restaurant in North Carolina.
A propeller from the SS United States serves as an entranceway marker to The Mariner’s Museum, passed by thousands of vehicles a day on Warwick Boulevard.
Okaloosa County Commissioners on Tuesday approved a contingent contract to purchase the ship, scuttle it in the Gulf ofMexicoand establish a land-based museum to preserve the ship’s legacy, according to a news release.
A vote on the contract was tabled last month because of a lawsuit filed by Penn Warehousing, where the ship is currently docked, and the SS United States Conservancy.
Okaloosa Countyofficials estimate $9 million will be needed to turn the ship into a reef, including $1 million to purchase the ocean liner.
The ocean liner is still docked alongside the Delaware River in Philadelphia despite having missed a court-imposed deadline to leave Pier 82.
A federal magistrate judge agreed to suspend theSept. 12deadline after the ship’s owner, theSS United States Conservancy, and the dock’s operator, Penn Warehousing, ended up in court over the vessel’s release from the pier, it was previously reported.
The Conservancy filed a court motion to extend its deadline toDec. 5, arguing Penn Warehousing prevented the group from meeting the deadline by requiring it to pay $3 million before it would release the ship from the port. An attorney for Penn Warehousing has not returned requests byNJ Advance Mediafor comment.
If the SS United States is sunk, it would, at 990 feet long, become the world’s largest artificial reef, surpassing the USS Oriskany, a former naval ship previously sunk in the Gulf.
About 10,000 divers yearly explore the sunken Oriskany, resulting in over $3 million in annual economic impact, according to a news release.
“I am extremely proud of our team and the effort required to achieve this tremendous next step in bringing such a breathtaking vessel to the waters of Destin-Fort Walton Beach,” Okaloosa County Board Chairman Paul Mixon said in a statement.
Okaloosa County created a five-year plan to increase diving tourism off its beaches. Officials first eyed the SS United States for purchase first in 2022.
“Our artificial reef system has shown impressive growth through the years and this accomplishment confirms our commitment to remain good stewards of the environment, while also enhancing our community’s status as a premier diving and fishing destination,” Mixon said.
The ship, meanwhile, would remain afloat for potentially while it’s prepared for the ocean floor. A process to make the vessel environmentally sound could take over a year, and arranging the scuttling could take up to a year, officials said.
It was unclear Wednesday when the SS United States could be towed from the Delaware River.
The Conservancy hoped to explore several fates for the famed ship, such as converting it to a museum, but the court-ordered eviction left the organization with few choices.
“We are confident that the experienced and committed team in Okaloosa County fully appreciates the historic significance of the SS United States and our longstanding commitment to educating and exciting future generations about this unique expression of American maritime history and technological innovation,” Susan Gibbs, the Conservancy’s president, said in a statement. Her grandfather designed the vessel.
Escambia County, Okaloosa’s western neighbor, last month initiated a fundraising effort to purchase the ship, appearing to re-show initial interest in scuttling the vessel for diving purposes.
Daily Press and Virginian-Pilot reporter Peter Dujardin contributed to this report.
Eric Conklinmay be reached ateconklin@njadvancemedia.com.
©2024 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit nj.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
SS United States at a glance
- Designer: William Francis Gibbs
- Builder: Newport News Shipbuilding
- Length: 990 feet
- Beam: 101 feet
- Height: 175 feet
- Tonnage: 53,329 gross tons
- Horsepower: 242,000
- Passengers: 1,928
- Maiden voyage: July 3, 1952
- Last voyage: 1969
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