Fla. county inks tentative deal to turn SSUS into world's largest artificial reef
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- A historic ocean liner that once ferried immigrants, Hollywood stars, and heads of state may soon find its final resting place at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico, after a Florida county inked a tentative deal to turn the ship into the world's largest artificial reef.
The contract approved Tuesday by officials in Okaloosa County on Florida's coastal Panhandle is contingent upon the resolution of court-imposed mediation, after a judge ordered the storied but aging ship to vacate its berth at a pier in Philadelphia, following a yearslong dispute over rent and dockage fees.
The largest passenger ship ever built in the U.S., the SS United States shattered a record for the fastest transatlantic crossing by a passenger liner on its maiden voyage in 1952, The Associated Press reported from aboard the vessel.
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But the ship has been in a race against time to find a new home, with conservationists scrambling to find an alternative to scrapping the massive ocean liner, which is more than 100 feet (30 meters) longer than the Titanic.
The solution: sink it on purpose and create what supporters hope will be a barnacle-encrusted star in Okaloosa County's constellation of more than 500 artificial reefs, making it a signature diving attraction that could generate millions of dollars a year in local tourism spending for scuba shops, charter fishing boats and hotels.
"To have an opportunity to have the SS United States right here by our shore is a heritage and a legacy that is generational," said Okaloosa County Commissioner Mel Ponder. "I'm very excited for not only what it does for the diving community, but also the fishing community, but the community at large."
WATCH: Action News archive: SS United States ordered to move away from Philadelphia's Walt Whitman Bridge
The deal to buy the ship, which officials said could cost more than $10 million, could close in a matter of weeks, pending court mediation. The lengthy process of cleaning, transporting and sinking the vessel is expected to take at least 1.5 years.
READ MORE: Conservancy, landlord headed to mediation amid ongoing rent dispute for historic SS United States
"The SS United States has inspired millions the world over as a symbol of American pride and excellence," said Susan Gibbs, president of the SS United States Conservancy, the nonprofit working to preserve the vessel. "Should the ship be converted into an artificial reef, she will become a unique historic attraction above and below the waterline."
Christened in 1952, the 1,000-foot ocean liner was once considered a beacon of American engineering, doubling as a military vessel that could carry thousands of troops. On its maiden voyage in 1952, it shattered the transatlantic speed record in both directions, when it reached an average speed of 36 knots, or just over 41 mph (66 kph), The Associated Press reported from aboard the ship.
On that voyage, the ship crossed the Atlantic in three days, 10 hours and 40 minutes, besting the RMS Queen Mary's time by 10 hours. To this day, the SS United States holds the transatlantic speed record for an ocean liner.
It became a reserve ship in 1969 and later bounced to various private owners who hoped to redevelop it but eventually found their plans to be too expensive or poorly timed.
The massive ocean liner first appeared in Philadelphia in July 1996. For roughly two weeks, the 1,000-foot vessel was parked along the Delaware River, next to the Walt Whitman Bridge.
WATCH: Action News archive - SS United States towed under Philadelphia's Walt Whitman Bridge
The size of the ship and its proximity to the important Philadelphia bridge made bridge officials nervous that it was too close - so they ordered that it be moved to a more fitting location.
Then, on July 25, 1996, a team of tugboats led the mission of nudging the behemoth into the middle of the Delaware River before towing it upstream and carefully under the Walt Whitman. That temporary spot turned into a nearly 30-year stay.
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Kate Payne is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
