Historic Liner The SS United States Embarks On Its Final Voyage
Historic Liner The SS United States Embarks On Its Final Voyage. The historic ocean liner the SS United States embarked on its final journey from Philadelphia to the Gulf of Mexico to be transformed into the world's largest artificial reef. The 302-metre (1,000ft) vessel set the transatlantic speed record during its maiden voyage from New York to Bishop Rock, Cornwall, in 1952. Its 1,800-nautical-mile voyage from the Delaware River to Mobile, Alabama, is expected to take around two weeks. After structural modifications to remove contaminants and make it safe for divers, the ship will then be towed 20 miles off the coast and scuttled. The SS United States was considered a marvel of American engineering, and during its maiden voyage in July 1952, the ship crossed the Atlantic in three days, ten hours, and 40 minutes. The ship's heyday was short, however, as the advent of commercial air travel in the 1950s saw ocean liner voyages lose their appeal. By 1969 it was withdrawn from service. For decades, the 53,000-tonne vessel remained docked at a pier in South Philadelphia, as efforts were made to determine how best to preserve it. After a lengthy legal battle, in 2023 a federal judge ordered its removal from the Port of Philadelphia and the ship was sold to Okaloosa County, Florida, for an initial sum of $1 million.
