On Wednesday, the SS United States took to the waves for the first time since 1996 as it departed Philadelphia en route to a new role as the world’s largest artificial reef.
SS United States Conservanvcy photo courtesy of Ashli Friel.)
On Wednesday, the SS United States took to the waves for the first time since 1996 as it departed Philadelphia en route to a new role as the world’s largest artificial reef. The ship departed to a sendoff that included a special escort from the Philadelphia Fire Department, five tugs, news helicopters buzzing overhead, and crowds of onlookers admiring the vesssel from along the shore.
At around 11:40 a.m, the tugboats Cape Lookout, Annabelle Dorthy Moran, Robert McAllister, Beverly McAllister, and Vinik #6 began moving the SS United States into the Delaware River channel..]
The ship glided majestically down river, streamed live on the SS United States Conservancy’s Facebook page, as people around the world watched. After passing under the Walt Whitman Bridge for the last time – with only 8 feet of clearance—she was off and moving, traveling south at an approximate speed of 5 knots.
“Today, the nation’s sole surviving ocean liner will glide down the Delaware River to begin the next chapter in her uniquely American story,” said Conservancy president Susan Gibbs,as the ship departed.. “As the fastest ship to ever cross the Atlantic travels for the first time since arriving in Philadelphia in 1996, we are reminded of the postwar high-water mark that the SS United States so gracefully and powerfully embodied when she was launched in 1951… During this period of intense political polarization, America’s Flagship, built through a public-private partnership as a luxury liner and a top-secret, high-speed, troop transport to protect our national interests overseas, illustrates the power and the promise of coalescing around a common cause.”
“We are grateful to the people of Philadelphia for their steadfast support and appreciation of the SS United States over so many years. As home to so many historic national landmarks, Philadelphia has been a fitting port-of-call for almost three decades. We also thank everyone who has supported the SS United States Conservancy during our 14-year stewardship of America’s Flagship, and we wish her “fair winds and following seas” on her historic journey to her new home,” Gibbs concluded.
ARTIFICIAL REEF
After multiple efforts over the years to either refurbish and return the ship to service as a cruise ship or convert it to a hotel or some other purpose, it is now on a 14-day to Mobile, Ala., where it will be prepared to be sunk safely to become the world’s largest artificial reef, offshore Destin-Fort Walton Beach, Okaloosa County, Florida.
Once deployed off Destin-Fort Walton Beach, at nearly 1,000-feet long, the SS United States will be a home for a diverse range of marine life and attract divers and anglers from around the world. The purchase of the SS United States by Okaloosa County, will continue the growth of Destin-Fort Walton Beach’s robust artificial reef program, the most active, and one of the largest vessel artificial reef collections in the United States. To track her journey, click here.
In partnership with the SS United States Conservancy, a land-based museum and immersive experience is slated to be developed in Destin-Fort Walton Beach.
MUSEUM PLANNING MOVING FULL SPEED AHEAD
The Conservancy says it will now advance its plans for the land-based SS United States museum.
“We will showcase the ship’s rich history through our extensive curatorial collections, as well as explore the cultural importance of the ship’s mid-century modern art and design and the record-breaking engineering that made her a 20th century marvel,” it says. “The museum’s exterior design will incorporate major architectural features from the vessel, including her funnels, radar mast, propeller, and other iconic elements.
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