The SS United States, the largest ocean liner ever built entirely in the United States, is heading toward a new life underwater. Officials plan to sink the historic ship off the coast of Florida later this year, turning it into the world’s largest artificial coral reef.
Built mostly of aluminum, the ship first sailed in 1952. It still holds the transatlantic speed record among passenger ships, an honor known as the Blue Riband. Crews earned the ship its nickname, “Big U,” because nearly every part of it was made in America.
Naval engineer William Francis Gibbs designed the liner as Cold War tensions were rising. The U.S. Navy helped pay for construction so the ship could double as a troop transport or hospital vessel if needed. Workers built it in just two and a half years using a dry dock in Virginia.
Record-breaking voyages gave way to decades of decline
The ship measured 301 meters (988 feet) long, about 30 meters (98 feet) longer than the Titanic. It carried roughly 900 crew members and up to 1,918 passengers. On its maiden voyage, the liner beat the Queen Mary’s longstanding speed record by ten hours, crossing from New York to England in just over three days.
Famous travelers who booked passage included Walt Disney, Marilyn Monroe, Cary Grant, and John Wayne. The ship completed 721 Atlantic crossings and carried more than a million passengers before it was retired in 1969.
For decades afterward, the vessel sat mostly abandoned as one rescue plan after another collapsed. Investors proposed turning it into a casino, a hotel, a museum, and even a floating condominium. None of those plans moved forward, and the ship kept deteriorating at the dock.
Florida County’s plan to build the largest artificial coral reef
Okaloosa County, Florida, bought the historic liner in 2024. County officials decided to sink the ship off the coast, a move that will create the largest artificial coral reef anywhere in the world.
The plan follows a similar project involving the retired aircraft carrier USS Oriskany, which was sunk nearby to form another reef for marine life.
Workers moved the ship to Mobile, Alabama, to prepare it for sinking. Crews have spent months stripping out wiring, bridge equipment, engine parts, fuel, and paint. That cleanup must finish before the ship can be lowered safely into the water.
Former President Bill Clinton, who sailed on the ship in 1968, later spoke out in favor of saving it. Preservation groups spent years pushing for its survival as a museum or landmark, but the funding never came together.
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