Is it a preservation failure—or a bright new future—for the 1950s oceanliner that still holds the transatlantic speed record? It depends on who you ask.
The storied SS United States is under tow off the East Coast, on its way to Mobile, Alabama, then to Destin-Fort Walton Beach, Florida. The ship will be prepped to intentionally sink it offshore where it will become a diving mecca. It will be the world’s largest artificial reef.
The ship has languished at a slip in Philadelphia for 28 years, despite the efforts of the nonprofit SS United States Conservancy to save it. When it stood to lose its dockage, it seemed like scrapping the ship would be its likely fate. Instead, Okaloosa County, Florida, saw an opportunity to boost tourism in Destin-Fort Walton Beach.
When the ship left Philadelphia on Feb. 19, 2025, spectators came out to see the historic ship leave for good (with the help of tugboats). Tour boats offered boat rides for viewing the departure. Okaloosa County shared this video of the ocean liner leaving the Delaware River for the Atlantic Ocean. When the United States passed under the Walt Whitman bridge, the clearance was just 8 feet.
According to this GPS tracker, the ship has since traveled more than 400 miles, being towed at speeds between 6 and 10 knots. As of Monday morning, it was off the coast of Florida. The journey is estimated to take about two weeks, with no planned stops until Mobile.
The Hampton Roads chapter of the USS United States Conservancy says the tugboat Vinik No. 6, based out of New Jersey, is towing the ship with its 5,700 horsepower, 16-cylinder twin diesels.
The United States was built in drydock at Newport News Shipbuilding using top-secret technology. Designer William Francis Gibbs conducted research for years to make the fastest ship possible.
Gibbs used all aluminum to keep the United States light. She was 100 feet longer than the Titanic, and all the furnishings were made fireproof. As a luxury liner, the ship carried four U.S. presidents, Marilyn Monroe, Cary Grant, Marlon Brando and Judy Garland, among many others.
The United States was also designed to convert to a U.S. military troops carrier and Cold War weapon that could transport 14,000 troops 10,000 miles without refueling. It remained with the Navy until 1978, then passed through a series of owners with various plans for the ship. The SS United States Conservancy has been on a mission to preserve the ship since 1992. It was finally able to buy the ship outright in 2011, but never got enough funding to “save” the ship.
While the SS United States Conservancy says it worked for over a decade to keep the historic ocean liner as a floating, mixed-use development, it believes the artificial reef sinking is a better alternative than scrapping. It will be a major financial investment for Okaloosa County, as the cost of buying, moving, and sinking the ship is conservatively estimated at more than $10 million.
Some ship enthusiasts refuse to accept the Conservancy’s decision to allow the United States to be sunk. On social media, reactions ranged widely. One person commented, ” The S.S. United States is one of the very last true ocean liners in existence. When you sink her, she is gone forever,” while another person wrote, “People will dive on on it and photo it for years to come. It will have more tourists on it than it has over the last 40 years. Would you rather it be cut up for scrap never to be seen again?”
Okaloosa County is planning to build a “land-based museum and immersive experience” in memory of the SS United States historical impact.
To track the ship’s progress to Mobile and on to Destin-Fort Walton, click here.
