A documentary about the SS United States will include footage of its journey from Philadelphia to Alabama and its upcoming sinking off of the Florida coast alongside historic videos and archival interviews. 

“Superliner: The Enduring Legacy of the SS United States” will be released in 2026 with a global distribution, the SS United States Conservancy said Wednesday. An exact release date and how the film can be viewed have not been shared. 

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The documentary will be directed by Robert Radler and produced by Mark Perry, a board member of the conservancy. Robby Krieger, the guitarist for the Doors, will write the film’s score. 

“’Superliner’ isn’t just maritime nostalgia,” Perry said in a statement. “It’s an American story about innovation, loss, and rebirth — and we’re filming the beginning of its next chapter.”

Radler and Perry each worked on two previous documentaries about the ship, “SS United States: Lady in Waiting,” released in 2008, and its 2014 follow-up, “SS United States: Made in America.” The upcoming film will be among the attractions at the museum being built in Okaloosa County, Florida to honor the ship’s legacy.

This documentary will differ from the others because it includes video of the ship’s trip from South Philly to Mobile, Alabama, where it was cleaned in preparation of its sinking. It is being turned into an artificial reef about 20 miles south of Florida’s Destin-Fort Walton Beach. Until its journey earlier this year, the SS United States had been docked in South Philly since 1996.

“This time she’s not tied up at a dock,” Radler said. “She’s moving — and even at a fraction of her original speed, she still looks like she’s flying in the open ocean.”

Okaloosa County purchased the vessel for $1 million in 2024 following a lengthy legal battle between the conservancy, which was the ship’s previous owner, and its landlord, Penn Warehousing. It budgeted $10 million to clean and sink the ship.

County officials have not provided a date for the ship’s sinking, but previously said it will take place by the end of the year. The county is paying $68,000 to livestream the sinking with drones and underwater cameras. 

Okaloosa County is working on a separate documentary about the ship. It is expected to be released within two weeks of its sinking.

The SS United States gained fame for setting the transatlantic speed record, which it still holds, during its maiden voyage in 1952. During its heyday, the ship carried four presidents – Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, John Kennedy and a young Bill Clinton – and celebrities including Walt Disney, Judy Garland, Marilyn Monroe and John Wayne.