The SS United States was once the fastest ship on the seas. Now it has another record. It’s the world’s largest artificial reef.
On Wednesday, workers sank the huge ship. It rests off the coast of the Florida Panhandle. That spot is about 25 miles southwest of the city of Destin.
People planned the $13.5 million project for years. The huge new artificial reef is meant to attract more divers and fishers to the area. It also creates a home for tuna, marlin, and swordfish.
Officials had said that the sinking could happen in less than one hour. But the process ended up taking about eight.
“She is an amazing lady who will not [lie] down without a fight,” Coleen O’Malley says of the ship. She’s president of Coleen Marine, the company that handled the sinking. “Much like the amazing nation she was named after.”
Workers removed plugs from the boat. They cut extra holes. Water gushed through to flood the hull. The plan included sinking the ship in about 180 feet of water. That meant the top deck would be about 60 feet below the surface. This depth is shallow enough that even new divers can visit.
There are more than 500 artificial reefs in the area. “We’re trying to be the best diving destination in the world,” says Nick Tomecek. He’s the spokesman for Okaloosa County, Florida.
Divers have already signed up to explore the wreck. The diving will start on Friday.
Organizers removed the 65-foot-tall funnels (smokestacks) before sinking the vessel. Fans of the ship hope to open a museum about it. The museum will display the funnels.
The SS United States made its first voyage in 1952. It carried 1,700 passengers. Its average speed was almost 41 miles per hour. That broke a record. The ship set the record even facing winds that reached 69 miles per hour. The gusts blew a ping pong table off the deck!
The huge boat crossed the Atlantic Ocean more than 800 times. Movie stars and lawmakers were passengers. Presidents Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, and John F. Kennedy took trips on the ship.
People stopped using United States in 1969. For the last 30 years, it sat along a dock in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Some went down to the sea in ships, doing business on the great waters; they saw the deeds of the Lord, His wondrous works in the deep. — Psalm 107:23-24
