The legendary and iconic ocean liner, once considered a marvel of American shipbuilding, has departed for one final voyage before being converted into an artificial reef in the Gulf of America, formerly known as the Gulf of Mexico. The relocation and subsequent conversion have been coming for a long time. It has been docked at a pier in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, since 1996 and was the subject of a contentious legal battle for the last few years. 

TRUMP SHOULD HELP SAVE THE SS UNITED STATES

The ship was essentially evicted from its pier last year and given until Sept. 2024 to find a new home. The SS United States Conservancy tirelessly worked for years to find a new home and purpose for the historic ship but could not do so. It was eventually sold to Okaloosa County, Florida, with plans to convert the vessel into the largest artificial reef on the planet. There were several attempts at towing the ship down to Florida, but it was delayed due to various reasons, from weather to safety concerns.

“Today, the nation’s sole surviving ocean liner will glide down the Delaware River to begin the next chapter in her uniquely American story,” said Susan Gibbs, granddaughter of the ship’s designer, William Francis Gibbs, and president of the SS United States Conservancy. “As the fastest ship to ever cross the Atlantic travels for the first time since arriving in Philadelphia in 1996, we are reminded of the postwar high-water mark that the SS United States so gracefully and powerfully embodied when she was launched in 1951.”

“After nearly three decades in Philadelphia, the iconic SS United States is now embarking on a two-week tow to Mobile, Alabama, to prepare for her ultimate resting place as the world’s largest artificial reef,” Gibbs said. “Now under the care of new owners, the ship will forever symbolize our nation’s strength, innovation, and resilience. During this period of intense political polarization, America’s Flagship, built through a public-private partnership as a luxury liner and a top-secret, high-speed, troop transport to protect our national interests overseas, illustrates the power and the promise of coalescing around a common cause.”

At one point, the SS United States was a symbol associated with luxury and affluence. Throughout the ship’s life, some of the biggest film stars of Hollywood’s golden era, including Marilyn Monroe, Marlon Brando, Bob Hope, and John Wayne. It also frequently transported dignitaries and other heads of state. The ship was built between 1950 and 1951 at the height of the Cold War and was the largest ocean liner constructed in the country’s history. It made its maiden voyage in 1952. As mentioned above, the ship holds the record for the fastest voyage across the Atlantic Ocean.

The ship departed Philadelphia at 11 a.m. on Wednesday and headed to Mobile, Alabama, as part of the process of becoming a reef and headed to its final destination at the bottom of the sea.