SS United States sinks to create artificial reef

The SS United States now rests on the floor of the Gulf of Mexico. The retired ocean liner sank to the bottom of the water off the coast of Florida on Wednesday night. It settled in an upright position 180 feet beneath the surface.

The vessel is nearly 1,000 feet long from bow to stern. This length makes it longer than the Titanic. The ship was deliberately sunk to serve as the world's largest artificial reef. Its rooms, corridors, and elevator shafts are intended to provide habitat for fish and other aquatic life as well as sites for deep-sea diving.

The SS United States first sailed in 1952. It won the Blue Riband, a prize for trans-Atlantic speed, on its opening voyage. The liner holds that speed record more than 60 years later. The ship was designed to be converted into a military transport capable of carrying 14,000 troops for 10,000 miles without refueling if war broke out. It was never used for that purpose.

The liner operated until 1969. Notable passengers during its service included President Harry Truman, Walt Disney, Marilyn Monroe, Walter Cronkite, and a young Bill Clinton. The SS United States Conservancy initially sought to turn the vessel into a hotel or a museum. Legal and financial obstacles prevented those plans. The group sold the ship to Okaloosa County, Florida, in 2024. The county decided to sink the vessel.

Coleen Marine, a marine engineering contracting company, executed the sinking. Coleen O'Malley, the company's president and co-founder, led the project. Her team spent more than 18 months preparing the ship. They repaired holes and irregularities in the hull to ensure the vessel would sink correctly. O'Malley stated that the primary technical challenge was ensuring air exited the ship as water entered, rather than simply adding water. The team also cleaned rusted exterior sections to create a better environment for marine life. Their goal was to keep the ship from flipping or turning during its descent.

Susan Gibbs, chair of the SS United States Conservancy board, watched the final moments from the coast near Destin and Fort Walton Beach. Her grandfather, William Francis Gibbs, designed the ship more than 70 years ago. Gibbs described the sinking as a mix of emotions. "It's a combination of grief, that I will be saying goodbye to her in her current form, but, gratitude and hope in terms of what she will continue to give to the world," Gibbs said. She added that the vessel "embodied the spirit of a nation so confident in its ability to accomplish the extraordinary."

O'Malley confirmed that the team preserved the original hull design. "We've maintained the actual hull. So she's very recognizable," O'Malley said. "We've made it so that the structure under the water is going to look like she did above the water." The SS United States Conservancy plans to build a museum in Florida dedicated to the ship's history.

The ship disappeared beneath the waves at 10 p.m. ET Wednesday. It now lies stationary on the ocean floor, marking the end of its time as a surface vessel and the start of its function as a reef.