SS United States finally learns when it will be sent to the bottom of the sea after years-long fight

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After a bitter, years-long dispute over its fate, the historic SS United States is finally headed for the ocean floor, with a date set for its sinking off Florida’s coast.

The 990-foot vessel is scheduled to be deployed about 22 nautical miles southwest of Destin-Fort Walton Beach during the second week of November, the Okaloosa Board of County Commissioners announced last week.

The exact date could shift depending on weather conditions, officials said.

Once a luxury liner that carried presidents and celebrities across the Atlantic, the SS United States has been undergoing environmental cleanup and preparations in Mobile, Alabama, since March 2025.

The ocean liner sat deteriorating at Philadelphia’s Pier 82 for nearly 30 years after retiring from service. A bitter dispute over rent and docking fees between the SS United States Conservancy and the pier’s landlord, a legal settlement was eventually reached.

In 2024, Okaloosa County, Florida, bought the ship for $1 million to save it from being scrapped, opting instead to transform it into the world’s largest artificial reef.

“This is an exciting move forward to create a one-of-a-kind resource for the environment and for our tourism industry,” the Board of County Commissioners said in a statement.

Officials will announce more details in the coming weeks, including the event schedule and how supporters and the public can take part in person or online, according to the SS United States Conservancy, which is helping with the museum.

The SS United States made its maiden voyage in 1952 and soon set a trans-Atlantic speed record that still stands today. The ocean liner crossed the Atlantic in three days, 10 hours and 40 minutes, beating the previous record held by the RMS Queen Mary by 10 hours.

After 17 years of carrying passengers across the Atlantic, the ship was retired from service. It arrived in Philadelphia in 1996 and remained docked there for nearly three decades.

Its future became uncertain amid a prolonged dispute between the SS United States Conservancy, which had overseen the vessel, and the operators of the Philadelphia pier where it was docked. The dispute ultimately led to a court-ordered deadline to move the ship.

The ship left Philadelphia in February 2025 as thousands of onlookers watched it travel down the Delaware River. It was then towed to Mobile, where crews began preparing it for its eventual sinking.

Before it can be submerged, crews must remove materials that could harm marine life.

Once underwater, the vessel is expected to provide habitat for marine species while drawing divers, anglers and tourists to Florida’s Gulf Coast.

Plans are also underway for a land-based museum dedicated to the ship, which will preserve parts of the vessel, including its smokestacks, allowing visitors to explore its history after it disappears beneath the waves.

“The museum will 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, celebrating the ship’s storied design, seagoing service, and role in American history,” according to the SS United States Conservancy, which is helping with the museum.

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