Historic US ship that once ruled the Atlantic faces extraordinary fate near Florida
The SS United States, once the fastest ocean liner to cross the Atlantic, is scheduled to be sunk off Florida's coast Wednesday to become the world's largest artificial reef.
Built in Virginia in 1950 and 1951, the ship carried famous passengers including President John F. Kennedy, former King Edward VIII, Grace Kelly and Elizabeth Taylor. It also transported a young Bill Clinton to Oxford University in 1968 before being decommissioned a year later. For decades, the vessel sat along a dock in Philadelphia from 1996 until February 2025.
The ship is expected to sink in about 180 feet of water, roughly 25 miles southwest of Destin, Florida. Its top deck will rest about 60 feet below the surface, making it accessible to recreational divers. It will join approximately 500 other artificial reefs in the area.
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