SS United States begins slow sinking off Florida
The ocean liner’s controlled descent began off Destin on Nov. 11, but most of its hull remained above water at sunset as crews worked to create a Gulf reef.
The SS United States began its controlled sinking off Destin, Florida, at about 1 p.m. CST on Nov. 11, 2026, as Okaloosa County worked to turn the retired ocean liner into an artificial reef. By sunset, most of the ship’s hull remained above water, Reuters reported.
- The deliberate sinking began about 20 nautical miles off Florida’s Gulf Coast, between Destin-Fort Walton Beach and Pensacola, CBS reported.
- Crews removed fuel and other unsafe materials, then cut holes in the ship to help it sink slowly and upright; no explosives were used, Reuters reported.
- Okaloosa County’s roughly $13 million project is intended to create marine habitat and a year-round diving attraction, CBS reported.
How the SS United States sinking is being carried out
CBS placed the operation about 20 nautical miles off Florida’s Gulf Coast, between Destin-Fort Walton Beach and Pensacola. Reuters reported that lights from nearby boats surrounded the liner as it descended. The deliberate process began at about 1 p.m. CST; by sunset, most of the hull was still above water.
Reuters reported that crews removed fuel and other unsafe materials and cut holes so the vessel would sink slowly and upright, without explosives. PBS reported that federal environmental and explosives rules prevented use of explosives and that water would flood the hull after valves were opened. CBS said the preparation included removing wiring and fuel, and was coordinated with the Environmental Protection Agency and Florida Department of Environmental Protection. PBS also reported that tanks were removed.
CBS reported that the ship was sent to Mobile, Alabama, for preparation before being disposed of at sea. The projected resting depth differed slightly between accounts: Reuters said about 55 metres, with the upper deck around 15 metres below the surface; PBS gave 180 feet. Those were expected positions, and the reports available at sunset did not establish whether or when the liner reached the seabed.
What the reef project means
Okaloosa County bought the ship from the SS United States Conservancy for about $1 million in 2024, CBS reported. The county’s approximately $13 million reef project is funded by tourist tax revenue. Reuters reported that Conservancy board member David Lawrence said the goal was to make sure the ship “wasn’t lost forever”; according to Reuters, Lawrence gave that interview to PBS.
The county hopes the reef will provide habitat for Gulf marine life, draw divers year-round and support the Florida Panhandle economy, CBS reported. Jocelyn Collins, general manager of Emerald Coast Scuba, told CBS News she expected divers to visit and take underwater photographs. PBS described the project as an economic development opportunity centered on a major diving attraction.
The liner entered service in 1952, could carry 1,984 passengers and crossed the Atlantic in three days and 10 hours, Northeastern Global News reported. It was decommissioned in 1969. The BBC reported that the ship spent nearly 30 years docked in Philadelphia and that proposals to preserve it as a museum or floating hotel failed before it was moved to Florida.
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What this story rests on
5 sources from 5 organisations: 1 news agency, 3 broadcasters, 1 news outlet.
- 1Retired ocean liner to become largest artificial reef in the worldNortheastern Global News, republished by Phys.org · phys.orgNews outlet
- 2Famed ship heads for afterlife as artificial reef in deliberate sinking off FloridaReuters, republished by The Straits Times · straitstimes.comNews agency
- 3SS United States is being sunk off Florida's Gulf Coast to become world's largest artificial reefCBS News · cbsnews.comBroadcaster
- 4WATCH LIVE: SS United States, once world’s fastest ocean liner, sinks to become reef off FloridaPBS News · pbs.orgBroadcaster
- 5Famed ship SS United States to be sunk off coast of FloridaBBC News; the cited interview with Susan Gibbs was conducted by CBS News · bbc.co.ukBroadcaster
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.
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