The Ship That Could Outrun Soviet Submarines Is About to Become Florida’s Newest Diving Destination

The SS United States

For over 30 years, the SS United States has been biding time at a Philadelphia pier, her paint peeling and her engines silent. She once carried Hollywood stars and broke every speed record on the Atlantic. Now she’s about to become something completely different: deliberately sunk as the world’s biggest artificial reef off Florida’s coast.

Here’s a look at her remarkable journey.

The Rise of the SS United States

The SS United States emerged during America’s postwar industrial peak. Workers laid her keel at Newport News Shipbuilding in Virginia in 1950.

United States Lines commissioned this 990-foot colossus at a cost of $78 million, with the U.S. Navy funding two-thirds of the bill.

At five city blocks long, she towered over most ships of her day. Her designers planned her size with military precision.

At exactly 101 feet wide, the hull fit through the Panama Canal with just two feet of clearance on each side. This allowed for quick movement between oceans if needed for war.

The ship weighed 53,330 gross tons despite her lightweight build, a feat that balanced size with speed.

The Man Behind The Design

William Francis Gibbs spent almost four decades chasing his dream of creating the fastest ocean liner ever built. His love for ships sparked at age eight when he saw the 1894 launch of SS St. Louis at a Philadelphia shipyard.

Though Gibbs started as a real estate lawyer, he quit this safe career in 1916 to follow his ship-building vision. Without formal training, Gibbs taught himself engineering by reading technical journals at night.

This self-taught shipbuilder eventually designed over 6,000 vessels, including vital Liberty Ships that helped Allied forces during World War II. Gibbs began sketching what he called his “Big Ship” in 1914, decades before building finally began.

A Revolutionary Construction Method

The SS United States broke with tradition from day one of construction. Unlike other ocean liners built on sloped ramps and launched sideways into water, workers built her in a massive dry dock.

This approach kept the project hidden from prying eyes. The United States government labeled many aspects of the ship’s design as military secrets.

Foreign visitors couldn’t enter the shipyard to prevent details from leaking to other countries. After starting the keel on February 8, 1950, building moved ahead with new methods.

The design used lightweight materials throughout, including aluminum instead of steel for the upper structure. These weight-saving choices let engineers put in stronger engines while keeping the ship stable.

Built For Speed And Safety

Gibbs created the SS United States with two main goals: speed and safety. The ship packed innovations that made her nearly unsinkable.

Her hull split into watertight sections that stopped flooding from spreading throughout. Engineers built two separate engine rooms to keep power even if one got damaged.

Safety concerns extended to fire prevention. After seeing other passenger ships destroyed by flames, Gibbs banned almost all burnable materials.

The ship had almost no wood, using metal, glass, and aluminum instead. Even the grand piano needed special thought.

When Steinway refused to build an aluminum piano, Gibbs showed that a wooden one would resist fire by pouring gasoline on it, lighting it, and watching the fuel burn off without catching the wood on fire.

The design worked so well that the ship could reportedly move backward faster than the Titanic could go forward.

The Record-Breaking Maiden Voyage

The SS United States left New York Harbor on July 3, 1952, carrying excited passengers and one special guest – William Francis Gibbs himself. This first trip aimed to win the Blue Riband, the award for fastest Atlantic crossing.

Previous holder RMS Queen Mary had kept the record since 1938. Before leaving, Gibbs gave surprising orders to the captain.

Instead of pushing the engines full out, he said: “Don’t beat the record by very much.” He hoped rival shipping companies would build competing ships, creating ongoing races that would show off his ship’s better design.

Even using only two-thirds of available power, the United States averaged 35.59 knots (about 41 mph), crossing from New York to England in just 3 days, 10 hours, and 40 minutes.

This beat the old record by more than ten hours and claimed the Blue Riband, which the ship still holds today.

The Secret Military Capabilities

Under her fancy passenger areas, the SS United States hid a military vessel ready for quick use. The U.S. Navy paid most building costs because the ship doubled as a potential troop carrier.

In wartime, workers could quickly change her passenger rooms to carry up to 14,000 soldiers – almost seven times her normal passenger load. Her engine system stayed secret for years.

The four huge propellers, pushed by steam turbines, created 240,000 shaft horsepower – more than many warships of that time. Engineers built the ship to travel 10,000 miles without refueling, enough range to move troops from America to Europe and back without stopping.

Her twin engine rooms provided backup if battle damage knocked out part of the power system. These military features went unused throughout her service, but they shaped every part of her groundbreaking design.

Years Of Luxury Service

For 17 years, the SS United States carried passengers across the Atlantic, from everyday families to world-famous celebrities. Travelers included Hollywood stars like Marlon Brando, Coco Chanel, and John Wayne.

Four U.S. presidents – Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Clinton – sailed aboard the famous ship during her working years. The ship stocked amazing supplies for trips.

Her first voyage needed 7,935 quarts of ice cream and 500 pounds of caviar. Before that maiden trip, about 70,000 New Yorkers toured the vessel during open house days – more people than could fill Yankee Stadium.

In 1963, the ship carried perhaps her most famous passenger – the Mona Lisa. Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece traveled from France for special shows in Washington and New York, with the United States picked for her speed and safety features.

The End Of An Era

By the late 1960s, new technology spelled doom for ocean liners. The jet age changed Atlantic travel, with planes crossing in hours not days.

Despite her record-breaking speed, the SS United States couldn’t compete with the ease of flying. United States Lines retired the ship from service in 1969 after just 17 years of work.

The vessel passed through many owners who suggested various uses, including turning her into a cruise ship, hotel, or even floating condos. None of these plans worked out, and the once-proud vessel began falling apart at various docks along the East Coast.

In 2011, the SS United States Conservancy bought the ship, hoping to save her legacy and find a permanent home. Despite raising millions in donations, the Conservancy struggled with dock fees and upkeep costs while looking for business partners.

A New Chapter As An Artificial Reef

The ship’s fate changed in 2024 when a Philadelphia court ordered her removal from her berth after a fight over increased dock fees. With few choices left, the SS United States Conservancy made a deal with Okaloosa County, Florida.

The County Commission voted 4-1 on October 1, 2024, to buy the historic vessel for $1 million and turn her into an artificial reef. The project sets aside $10.1 million total for purchase, cleaning, transport, and sinking of what will become the world’s largest artificial reef.

At 990 feet, the United States will beat the current record holder, the 888-foot USS Oriskany, sunk off Pensacola in 2006. County officials expect the reef will bring in over $3 million yearly from diving, fishing, and related tourism – creating a lasting future for the historic vessel while helping the local economy.

The Journey To Its Final Destination

After months of prep work and legal talks, the SS United States left Philadelphia on February 19, 2025. The once-mighty ocean liner, now unable to move on her own, needed towing for the 1,800-nautical-mile journey.

The Vinik No. 6, a strong ocean-going tugboat, led the move, pulling the massive vessel at about 5 knots. The trip took the United States down the Delaware River, through Delaware Bay, into the Atlantic Ocean, around Florida, and into the Gulf of Mexico.

Bad weather and technical problems made the voyage harder. In early March 2025, the ship finally reached Mobile, Alabama, finishing the first part of her change into an artificial reef.

The arrival ended nearly thirty years docked in Philadelphia and began her prep for underwater service.

Preparing For Underwater Life

In Mobile, the United States began a year-long environmental cleaning process. Workers at the Modern American Recycling Services facility started carefully removing harmful materials from the ship.

The $7.228 million contract with Coleen Marine Inc. covers taking out all fuel, paint, cables, furnishings, and toxic substances including asbestos.

The cleaning ensures the vessel won’t leak harmful chemicals into the ocean after sinking. Crews save certain iconic parts, including the distinctive red, white, and blue funnels and radar mast, for display at a planned museum.

Engineers will place the ship upright on the sea floor, creating a tall reef structure that makes the best home for sea life. The careful prep work focuses on both environmental safety and making the vessel a great underwater attraction.

Visiting SS United States

The final sinking of the SS United States as an artificial reef will happen about 20 miles off the coast of Destin-Fort Walton Beach. Planners expect to finish the project by late 2025, after extensive work in Mobile.

The ship will rest at about 180 feet depth, with upper decks reaching about 60 feet below the surface – reachable by recreational divers with proper training.

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