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A historic ocean liner, the SS United States, is set to become the world’s largest artificial reef, sinking to the depths of Florida’s Gulf Coast early next year.
Okaloosa County officials confirmed Tuesday that the ship is expected to disintegrate in early 2026 about 22 nautical miles (41 kilometers) southwest of Destin and 32 nautical miles (59 kilometers) southeast of Pensacola.
The nearly 1,000-foot (305-meter) ship, which broke the trans-Atlantic speed record on its maiden voyage in 1952, has spent much of this year in the Port of Mobile, Alabama, undergoing extensive cleaning to remove chemicals, wires, plastic and glass. Its final resting place was chosen after an agreement with Pensacola tourism officials, who are contributing $1.5 million to the project, and the Coastal Conservation Association Florida, which is contributing an additional $500,000.
Officials were considering two other locations, one of which was to anchor the ship further east and closer to Panama City Beach.
“This collaboration will foster amazing adventures for generations of visitors and create a tourism economy that will benefit the state and the entire Northwest Florida region,” Okaloosa County Board Chairman Paul Mixon said in a statement.
Contributions will be used to convert the SS United States into an artificial reef and finance a multi-year marketing campaign. The deal is part of Okaloosa County’s $10.1 million plan to buy, move, clean and sink the ship, which includes $1 million for a waterfront museum to promote the ship’s history.
Once in place, the SS United States will sit at a depth of approximately 180 feet (55 m), but the ship is tall enough that the top deck will be about 60 feet (18 m) above the surface, making it attractive to both novice and experienced divers. The artificial reef will be about 12 nautical miles (22 kilometers) from the USS Oriskany, another popular diving destination that sank in 2006.
The SS United States is set to join Okaloosa County’s more than 500 artificial reefs, which include a dozen smaller shipwrecks.
“The transformation of the SS United States into the world’s largest artificial reef creates a rare opportunity to elevate our entire region onto the global stage,” said Darian Schaefer, President and CEO of Visit Pensacola.
The new artificial reef will provide essential marine life habitat, prompting the Coastal Conservation Association Florida to make its largest donation in the organization’s 40-year history.
“This is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to contribute to the creation of the world’s largest artificial reef,” Brian Gorski, executive director of CCA Florida, said in a statement.
The SS United States arrived in Alabama in early March after a 12-day voyage from the Delaware River to Philadelphia, where she has spent nearly three decades. Okaloosa County took ownership last October after resolving a years-long rent dispute between the ship’s landlord and the conservatorship that maintains it.
Various groups over the years have attempted to restore the SS United States, but all plans were eventually abandoned due to the enormous costs. Recently, increased media attention has generated more calls to preserve the ship, and a group called the New York Coalition filed a lawsuit in Pensacola federal court asking a judge to stop such a historically significant ship from sinking.
But Okaloosa County officials have said preventing the SS United States from being wrecked would simply mean sending it to the junkyard.
The ship, which is more than 100 feet (30 m) longer than the RMS Titanic, was once considered a symbol of thousands of American soldiers. On her maiden voyage, the ship reached an average speed of 36 knots, or a little more than 41 mph (66 kph), the Associated Press reported onboard.
The ship crossed the Atlantic Ocean in three days, 10 hours and 40 minutes, bettering the time of the RMS Queen Mary by 10 hours. To date, the SS United States holds the trans-Atlantic speed record for an ocean liner.