Iconic Ocean Liner’s Departure Delayed Before Becoming World’s Largest Artificial Reef

The long-awaited departure of America’s most legendary ocean liner, SS United States, has been delayed once again.

The vessel, which has been docked at Pier 82 in Philadelphia since 1996, was set to begin her journey to Mobile, Alabama, on February 8, 2025.

However, the U.S. Coast Guard requested additional details to ensure safe towing operations, postponing the move indefinitely.

This is the second major delay in the ship’s relocation, as the original departure was scheduled for November 15, 2024, but was postponed due to logistical and weather-related concerns.

The historic liner was supposed to be transferred laterally from Pier 82 to Pier 80 on February 6, but this was also postponed due to unresolved towing safety issues.

The SS United States, once a record-breaking transatlantic liner, is on course to become the world’s largest artificial reef off the coast of Okaloosa County, Florida.

The vessel was purchased by the county in October 2024 from the SS United States Conservancy for $1 million after a legal dispute with the ship’s pier landlord forced a relocation decision.

The 53,330-gross-ton liner, famous for breaking the transatlantic speed record on her maiden voyage in 1952, will be moved to Mobile, Alabama, for an extensive 12-month environmental remediation process before being intentionally scuttled.

The process will involve the removal of oil from her fuel tanks, dismantling her two massive funnels, radar mast, and windows, and making structural modifications to ensure the vessel lands upright when deployed as a reef.

While the exact sinking location has not been finalised, Okaloosa County estimates that the ship will be submerged about 20 nautical miles south of Destin-Fort Walton Beach.

After nearly 28 years at Pier 82, the SS United States was just hours away from moving to Pier 80 on February 6, when the U.S. Coast Guard intervened with further questions regarding the ship’s stability, ballast, and structural integrity for the towing operation.

The first phase of the plan was to move the ship laterally from Pier 82 to Pier 80 to ensure she was floating freely before her final departure.

The full 14-day journey to Mobile was scheduled to begin at 3:30 a.m. on February 8, with tugboats manoeuvring her down the Delaware River.

The vessel’s transit was expected to impact several key bridges, including the Walt Whitman Bridge (I-76), Commodore Barry Bridge (U.S. 322), and the Delaware Memorial Bridge (I-295).

The Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA) had even planned temporary traffic suspensions as the ship passed underneath since her funnels and mast barely cleared the bridges.

However, with the Coast Guard delaying the move, Okaloosa County has now stated that no new departure date has been set.

Designed by the renowned American naval architect William Francis Gibbs, the 990-foot-long SS United States was built for both luxury and military use.

During the Cold War, she was designed to serve as a troop carrier capable of transporting 14,000 soldiers over 10,000 miles without refuelling.

At her peak, she accommodated 1,928 passengers and 1,044 crew members, setting an unmatched Atlantic crossing speed record of 35 knots. Some reports suggest she may have even reached 40 knots during secret speed trials.

After being decommissioned in 1969, the liner was stripped of her interior fittings in Turkey and Ukraine before settling in Philadelphia in 1996.

The SS United States Conservancy, which acquired the ship in 2011, worked for years to preserve her but ultimately had to sell her in 2024 due to legal and financial challenges.

Reference: CNN, Cruise Hive

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