America’s Flagship, the SS United States, pictured in Philadelphia – Courtesy: EbersonImages – Shutterstock
PHILADELPHIA – It won’t be in Philadelphia, but a historic ship that still has the transatlantic speed record it established over 70 years ago might be breaking another one very soon.
The contract to purchase the SS United States and turn it into the “world’s largest artificial reef” has been accepted by Okaloosa County in Florida.
The 1,000-foot ocean liner was to be towed from Philadelphia to Destin/Fort Walton Beach as part of a $10 million transaction, and then sunk offshore.
After that, the former Cold War weapon would be transformed into a dive site.
In addition, Okaloosa County promised to open the “land-based museum and immersive experience” that the SS United States Conservancy had established.
After a lengthy rent dispute came to an end on September 12, when the Conservancy was told to vacate its berth on the Delaware River, the organization has battled to keep the ship in Philadelphia.
But they claim that this agreement will save a portion of history from being lost:
“While the Conservancy has worked tirelessly for over a decade to secure a new home for the SS United States and repurpose the historic ocean liner as a floating, mixed-use development, a challenging Court-order evicting the ship from her current pier has compelled us to explore this alternative to scrapping. 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.”
Although the county states it may take up to a year and a half for the ship to make its journey down to Florida, the deal could finalize in the upcoming weeks.
“It is expected to take more than a year to complete the necessary environmental remediation of the historic ocean liner and an additional six months to a year to arrange the vessel’s deployment.”
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Born and raised in South Florida, Krystal is a recent graduate from the University of Miami with professional writing experience at the collegiate and national news outlet levels. She’s a foodie who loves all things travel, the beach, & visiting new places throughout Florida.