Ocean liner sunk in Florida to become “world’s largest artificial reef”

On Wednesday, the ocean liner SS United States was sunk 180 feet underwater to become an artificial reef off the coast of Florida.

The sinking took approximately eight hours, and dozens of onlookers and officials looked on as the ship underwent a controlled deployment, or scuttling, to the bottom of the ocean.

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The ship will join a long stretch of artificial reefs, including 580 other decommissioned vessels and structures, that line the ocean floor off the coast Destin-Fort Walton Beach, Florida.

“A new chapter has begun in Destin-Fort Walton Beach, Florida, where the legendary SS United States, once the fastest ocean liner in the world, has completed her final voyage to become the World’s Largest Artificial Reef,” said a release from the government of Destin-Fort Walton Beach.

The site serves as a tourist and dive destination for SCUBA divers both new and seasoned, as the underwater structures are meant to provide infrastructure for marine life.

“Beyond its appeal as a dive destination, the SS United States will serve an important environmental purpose,” said the team.

“Her massive structure will provide new habitat for marine life, supporting the growth of an underwater ecosystem that includes inhabitants such as sea turtles, grouper, snapper and marlin.”

In preparation for its scuttling, the ship underwent a years-long remediation process, where it was stripped of toxic materials, such as green neotex exterior floor covering and paint.

Elements such as the ventilation system, wiring and the propeller were also removed, with the latter stored for a land-based museum that will accompany the dive site.

“To see a project of this magnitude become a reality is an incredible moment for our team and for the future of marine conservation,” said Destin-Fort Walton Beach natural resources chief Alex Fogg.

“This is so much more than creating a new dive destination. It’s an opportunity to advance marine science on a scale we’ve never experienced before. The sheer scale of the SS United States presents a rare opportunity to study how an artificial reef of this size transforms over time.”

The project has been years in the making. The ship, designed by naval architect William Francis Gibb and known for its speed, served as a passenger vessel between 1952 and 1969.

It was decommissioned in 1969, and eventually bought to a Philadelphia harbour in the 1990s, where it sat inactive for decades as various owners bought and then sold the vessel in failed attempts to restore it and make it profitable.

In 2009, the non-profit SS United States Conservancy purchased and began stewarding the ship.

In 2024, due to rent issues, the ship could no longer stay berthed at its Philadelphia pier, and the SS United States Conservancy sold it to Okaloosa County, Florida, for $1 million.

As of today, it stands upright in its intended position, and its uppermost deck is accessible to divers, who can “now enjoy the site”.

Other artificial reefs around the world include the Reefline project in Miami, which is set to feature underwater sculpture designed by OMA and a LEGO-inspired modular system designed by Alex Goad, intended to restore damaged coral reefs.

Photography courtesy of Destin-Fort Walton Beach

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