What to Know
- After nearly 30 year, on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025, the SS United States began a move from its longtime dock in South Philadelphia towards its final destination in Florida.
- The 1,000-foot vessel, that shattered the transatlantic speed record on its maiden voyage in 1952, is being towed to Mobile, Alabama, for planned prep work before officials eventually sink it off Florida’s Gulf Coast.
- The SS United States was once considered a beacon of American engineering, doubling as a military vessel that could carry thousands of troops. Its maiden voyage broke the transatlantic speed record in both directions when it reached an average speed of 36 knots, or just over 41 mph. To this day, the SS United States holds the transatlantic speed record for an ocean liner.
After nearly 30 years, the historic -- and long-rusting -- SS United States departed Philadelphia on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. It's embarking on a journey to the coast of Florida, where it will be sunk and eventually turned into an artificial reef.
After a few recent delays, the former cruise liner departed at low tide for the Delaware River -- around 12:51 p.m. -- and is headed south to Mobile, Alabama.
The move led to closures on the Walt Whitman and Commodore Barry bridges.
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The Walt Whitman Bridge was closed from 12:45 to 1 p.m. and the Commodore Barry Bridge was closed to traffic from 4:45 to 5:45 p.m. in order to eliminate driver distractions.
Organizers said, in a statement, when the vessel reaches Alabama, it will undergo a remediation process that will see items like command bridge components, engine room equipment, wires, cables, loose items, flooring, furnishings, fuel, paint, and contaminants -- possibly including asbestos -- removed from the vessel before it is taken to Florida.
This process is expected to take until the end of this year.
Then, the ship will be headed to Okaloosa County, Florida where the ocean liner will be sunk and turned into a scuba-diving destination, organizers said.
“The SS United States will be towed more than 1800 nautical miles, at 5 knots per hour, from Philadelphia, through Delaware Bay, into the Atlantic Ocean, past Cape Hatteras, around the Florida Peninsula, into the Gulf of America, and onto The Bay of Mobile,” said Captain Joseph Farrell, who organizers noted as a ship-sinking and reef expert, in a statement. “The voyage is expected to take 18 days.”
The process will end the long-running saga of, what organizers said, was once considered the "pride of America’s merchant marine fleet."
“This is an emotional maritime moment,” said Farrell. “The SS United States is a testament to America’s might and engineering ingenuity. Her sinking is the final chapter for the last all-American-made; America-flagged ocean liner.”
When it was in service, from 1952 through 1969, organizers said, the SS -- which stands for steam ship -- United States hosted a star-studded manifest of passengers, including four U.S. Presidents, Marilyn Monroe, John Wayne, Jackie Gleason, Marlon Brando, Judy Garland, Charlton Heston, Joan Crawford, Walt Disney, Bob Hope and others.
In a statement, organizers said the ship also holds the record for the fastest eastbound and westbound trans-Atlantic cruise ship crossing.
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