Update Feb. 6
Plans to move the SS United States from Philadelphia to Mobile, Alabama have been delayed due to follow-up details requested by the U.S. Coast Guard, according to a press release from Okaloosa County. A new date has not been set for departure.
Original story:
The historic SS United States has completed safety requirements from local, state, and federal agencies to begin its move from Philadelphia to Mobile, Alabama where it will undergo preparations before becoming the world’s largest artificial reef in Okaloosa County.
SSUS is tentatively scheduled to depart from its current docking area by 4 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 8, according to a press release from Okaloosa County. Multiple tug boats will chaperone the ship down the Delaware River into the Atlantic Ocean.
RELATED: SS United States, record-setting ocean liner, makes its final voyage
Last year, Okaloosa County commissioners approved allocating approximately $10.1 million for the acquisition, remediation, transport, and deployment of the ocean liner. The ship is part of the county’s five-year plan, established in 2022, to make the Destin-Fort Beach area the dive capital of Florida.
The SS United States would be the world’s largest artificial reef — surpassing a record set in Pensacola with the 888-foot USS Oriskany which was deployed in 2006. The exact deployment location for SSUS has not been set, but is expected to be about 20 nautical miles south of the Destin-Fort Walton Beach area, the press release said.
The ocean liner has a rich history. It launched in 1951 and retired in 1969 and still holds the transatlantic speed record. This is one of the reasons some opponents have been vocal about turning the ship into an artificial reef. The county will be working with the SS United States Conservancy on a land-based museum to honor the ship’s legacy.
Transporting the ship to Mobile is expected to take about two weeks. Once it arrives, contractors will begin to remove hazardous material, non-metal parts, and fuel, the release said. The preparation for the ship’s deployment is expected to be a year-long process.
You can follow the SS United States as it makes its way to the Gulf through GPS tracking here.
