The SS United States called Philadelphia home for nearly three decades, but now preparations are underway to send the historic ocean liner to her final resting place at the bottom of the ocean.
One year ago, the SS US began the slow sail out of South Philadelphia and down the Delaware River en route to Mobile, Alabama. It’s there that the ship, which crisscrossed the Atlantic Ocean with presidents, dignitaries and celebrities onboard for 17 years, has undergone months of cleaning and remediation in anticipation of becoming the world’s largest artificial reef off Florida’s Gulf Coast.
A spokesperson for Okaloosa County, Florida, which purchased the SS United States in October, said Thursday that the remediation process is nearly complete and officials are in the “inspection phase” with the necessary government agencies, including the U.S. Coast Guard and Department of Environmental Protection.
Okaloosa County BCC
The SS US is still docked in Mobile, but Okaloosa County said they plan to deploy the ship as an artificial reef off the coast of Destin-Fort Walton Beach as soon as April 2026.
“She is an amazing vessel that has provided countless memories for those who knew her when she sailed and for those who followed her story in Philadelphia,” Okaloosa County public information officer Nick Tomecek said. “We are just happy we can preserve her history for generations within the artificial reef program here in Destin-Fort Walton Beach.”
The exact date and location of the ship’s sinking have not yet been released.
The fate of the SS US hung in the balance for months as a dispute between the SS United States Conservancy and the owners of Pier 82, where she was docked for years, played out in court.
CBS News Philadelphia
The ship, which made its maiden voyage in 1952, had been docked in Philadelphia since 1996. In 2024, a complaint filed in federal court showed the conservancy had failed to pay thousands of dollars in rent.
Despite efforts to find the ship a new home and keep it from being sunk, Okaloosa County’s Tourist Development Council eventually voted to purchase the ship, sink it to create an artificial reef, and build an on-land museum dedicated to the SS United States.
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