History enthusiasts are furious after officials approved plans to sink a historic American flagship once celebrated as the fastest ocean liner in the world.
The SS United States first entered service in 1952, carrying American figures including former President John F. Kennedy, Walt Disney, Debbie Reynolds and Marlon Brando. The iconic liner also appeared in the films Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, starring Marilyn Monroe, and West Side Story.
The vessel was retired to the US Navy in 1969 and remained there until 1978. Since then, the ocean liner has changed hands several times, but it was never given the second life supporters hoped for.
Now, the SS United States is scheduled to make its final voyage in November, when officials plan to sink the ship and transform it into the world’s largest artificial reef.
The Board of County Commissioners in Destin, Florida, said the ship has undergone full remediation. The Army Corps of Engineers has scheduled the SS United States for its final deployment.
The liner is expected to be deployed in the Gulf, southwest of Destin-Walton Beach, during the second week of November. It will eventually be opened to divers as an underwater attraction.
Despite the decision, a coalition of preservationists continues to oppose the plan and is fighting to prevent the historic ship from being sunk.
The New York Coalition to Save the SS United States described the ship’s dismantling as “a slap in the face to the countless citizens — across all 50 states and around the world.”
The SS United States was the fastest ship to sail the ocean after it entered service in 1952.
The SS United States, seen farthest away, is pictured alongside the SS America in New York in 1963. The liners’ heyday came just before commercial aviation became widely popular.
A museum is planned near the ship’s reef site to commemorate its history. A design for the proposed museum is pictured above.
The coalition said the decision disregards those who “cherish the SS United States and continue to fight for her future as a preserved, floating landmark and symbol of American excellence, innovation, and pride.”
“SHAME on anyone who conspired in silence against the will of We the People,” the group added.
While acknowledging that reefing is a widely used practice for aging ships, the coalition argued that the SS United States could release carcinogens into the water because of its size and age.
The group also launched an online petition calling for the ship to be saved. It gathered more than 16,000 signatures.
Supporters urged officials to return the liner to New York, where it could be restored as part of a waterfront redevelopment project.
“The SS United States is an irreplaceable piece of American maritime history and a National Historic Landmark. Turning this engineering marvel into an underwater reef without exhaustive public hearings disregards its cultural and historical significance,” one petition signatory wrote.
“This ship is every bit as important as the Statue of Liberty! Please don’t lose your history,” wrote another.
The SS United States welcomed numerous celebrities during its heyday, including actress Debbie Reynolds.
The ocean liner was soon known as “America’s Flagship.” It is pictured above on June 21, 1962, days before it first set sail.
Multiple proposals were floated before the ultimate decision to sink the ship. A proposal in 2020 sought to restore the ship as a hotel and museum complex
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The SS United States is a relic of a different time, before air travel was accessible and when luxury liners ruled the seas.
The historic liner first set sail on July 3, 1952, ahead of Independence Day celebrations.
Harry Manning, Amelia Earhart’s co-pilot, commanded the ship and set a speed record.
The SS United States was soon dubbed ‘America’s Flagship’ and became a marvel throughout the 1950s. Once air travel became more accessible in the 1960s, the ship struggled fiscally and was retired in 1969.
In the years that followed, multiple owners took over the flagship. Plans were proposed and denied to convert the vessel into condominiums in the 1980s.
The Norwegian Cruise Line purchased the SS United States in 2003, but the 2008 financial crisis thwarted the plans, and it was put up for sale again.
In 2010, the ship came under the ownership of the SS United States Conservancy through a grant and has since been maintained by the nonprofit.
Since then, multiple proposals to revitalize the SS United States have fallen flat. In 2015, a Brooklyn businessman named John Quadrozzi Jr expressed interest in purchasing the ship and converting it to office spaces, a gym, a swimming pool, restaurants, a theater, a maritime school and a museum, the Brooklyn Paper reported at the time.
After multiple failed proposals, the ship departed Philadelphia in 2025 to prepare for reefing on the Gulf Coast
Tugboats are pictured above transporting the iconic SS United States to the south on March 3, 2025
The once iconic ship has sat empty and decaying for decades. The shell of its control room is pictured above in 2024
In 2020, a real estate firm also began approaching multiple city governments to propose a hotel-and-museum complex, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported at the time.
However, in 2024, the Conservancy told Newsweek that after a decade of trying to advance a plan, local leaders ‘did not embrace the project.’
The Conservancy explained that ‘with no viable options’ for renovation, they were forced to reach an agreement with Florida officials to move the ship south to become an artificial reef.
Despite the Coalition’s efforts, the ship was remediated. In preparation for the sinking, the ship’s tanks were emptied, exterior paint was taken off, artifacts were removed and the vessel was coated with a green floor covering.
Our News Outlet has reached out to the Coalition and the County Commissioners for comment.
The ship made history for its speed. A souvenir log from the 1950s is pictured above
History and ship lovers pleaded to save the vessel. It’s pictured above arriving after achieving the fastest Atlanta crossing
Americans flocked to board the ship throughout the 1950s. Comic Bud Abbott is pictured above with his wife, Betty, and their new puppy in 1953
After the ship’s storied history, its story is ending in the Gulf, where it will become an artificial reef
