The key facts

  • The SS United States, about 302 meters long, will be sunk roughly 40 km southwest of the city of Destin in Florida
  • In 1952 the ship crossed the Atlantic in 3 days 10 hours 40 minutes and won the Blue Riband of the Atlantic
  • Okaloosa County bought the ship; in August 2025 a federal court dismissed a lawsuit against the sinking

The Atlantic record-holder goes under water

The SS United States, a liner nearly 302 meters long, is to be sunk about 40 kilometers southwest of the city of Destin to become an artificial reef. The project's initiators expect the ship to become a new habitat for marine organisms and a major tourist attraction for divers. According to local authorities' estimates, the project could bring millions of dollars a year to diving gear shops, fishing tour operators and hotels, Kun.uz reports.

From speed record to decommissioning

The SS United States was built as the fastest transatlantic liner: on its maiden voyage in 1952 it crossed the Atlantic in 3 days, 10 hours and 40 minutes, improving the Queen Mary's time by roughly 10 hours, and won the Blue Riband of the Atlantic — the prize for the fastest passenger ocean crossing. However, as transport preferences changed, demand for liners fell, and in 1969, after 17 years of service, the ship was taken out of operation. In the following decades it changed owners several times and gradually fell into disrepair.

Why the liner could not be preserved

Historical heritage advocates spent years trying to preserve and restore the ship, but the costs of repair and upkeep proved too high. A dispute over rent arrears with the owner of its Philadelphia berth forced the SS United States Conservancy, the organization caring for the vessel, to sell it. The liner was bought by Okaloosa County: on February 19, 2025, it was towed from Philadelphia to Mobile, Alabama.

Environmental disputes

The project drew objections: a number of environmental organizations and scientists warned that the hull's primer coating containing zinc chromate could pollute the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. The Okaloosa County administration stated that the project complies with the requirements of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and in August 2025 a federal court dismissed a lawsuit seeking to prevent the ship's sinking. Thus the legal obstacles have for now been removed, although, as publications indicate, the environmental concerns themselves have not been fully resolved — they were merely dismissed by the court.