Delaware catches a long, slow look as the SS United States slips past
See the SS United States as hundreds of Delawareans did, from where the Delaware River channel comes close to shore at Fox Point State Park as the grand, old ocean liner began her journey to her final destination: as an artificial reef off Florida, Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025.
The SS United States, the historic ocean liner that decayed at a Philadelphia pier for nearly 30 years before finally being tugged away recently, will arrive in Mobile, Alabama, on Monday.
The ship is expected to enter Mobile Bay around 6 a.m. and arrive at the docks of Modern American Recycling Services, located at 601 S. Royal St., around noon, the ship’s owners announced. Times will likely fluctuate depending on multiple factors. The docks and facilities are not open to the public.
The SS United States will remain in Mobile for about a year as Coleen Marine removes hazardous paints, plastic, fuel and oil. When preparations are complete, it will be sunk off the coast of Florida panhandle, where it will become the world’s largest artificial reef.
The beloved SS United States launched in the 1950s, setting the trans-Atlantic speed record and wowing passengers with its innovation and elegance. Bigger than the Titantic, it was the most efficient and fashionable way to travel between America and Europe (and later the Caribbean) through most of the 1960s. It was retired from service when air travel became common.
Many hoped the SS United States could be developed like the RMS Queen Mary, which is now home to a hotel, restaurants and retail stores in Long Beach, California. In fact, the SS United States Conservancy tried for years to do just that, but the ship had a different fate.
By 1996, the ship had seen several owners, all of them unsuccessful in repurposing it, and been stripped of much of its interior. It was docked at Pier 82 in Philadelphia that year and remained there for almost 30 years, until Penn Warehousing sued the conservancy and a judge evicted the ship.
Out of time, the conservancy took the best option they had: an offer from Okaloosa County, Florida, to sink the ship and turn it into the world’s largest artificial reef. The reef is expected to attract divers from all over the world, in tandem with a land-based museum.
After several false starts, on Wednesday, Feb. 19, with onlookers gathered to pay their respects the ship was finally tugged down the Delaware River and Bay and out to sea. Its trip down the coast and around the Florida panhandle was uneventful.
Shannon Marvel McNaught can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @MarvelMcNaught.
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Publish date : 2025-03-02 07:05:00
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