Ship sinking expert explains how the SS United States will be prepped for its underwater grave
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- The SS United States will soon leave Philadelphia on a voyage down south, where it will be sunk as an artificial reef off the Florida Gulf Coast.
The vessel was originally scheduled to depart Philadelphia on Nov. 15, 2024, at low tide, but officials announced Tuesday that those plans were delayed. A new date has not been set.
City commissioners in Okaloosa County, Florida, have approved a $10.1 million plan to relocate the ocean liner and sink it off the coast of Destin-Fort Walton Beach. The plan includes building a $1 million seaside museum chronicling the cruise liner's history.
Action News caught up with the world's top ship sinking expert, Captain Joseph Farrell -- who also created the current record-holder for the world's largest artificial reef -- about what this mission will entail.
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Farrell is with Resolve Marine and has implemented 80 major ship-sinking projects worldwide, transforming them into marine life habitats and top scuba diving destinations. Resolve Marine is also the company that dismantled the wreckage of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge and dislodged the cargo ship that slammed into it.
"This is the best ending for the ship. Serving as an artificial reef, means the United States will live on to nurture generations of marine life," he said.
Farrell says crews will check the tides for the best time to begin its journey.
He says the SS (steam ship) United States will have to move away from the dock at high tide. It will then need to go under the Walt Whitman Bridge during low tide.
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It will take about two weeks to travel to Mobile, Alabama.
"Three tug boats will tow the 900-foot-long, 53,000-ton ship more than 1800 nautical miles, at 5 knots per hour, from Philadelphia, under three bridges that cross the Delaware River, through Delaware Bay, into the Atlantic Ocean, around the Florida Peninsula, into the Gulf of Mexico, and onto The Bay of Mobile," Farrell explained.
The historic ocean liner -- which holds the record as the fastest ever to cross the Atlantic Ocean -- will be cleaned, the interior scrapped and rid of any toxins or asbestos.
Once the clean-up is finished, the vessel will then be towed back out to the Gulf, where it will travel about 20 miles southeast to just off the shores of Destin-Fort Walton for it to be sunk.
From his experience on other operations, Farrell says roughly 30 perforated panels will be cut into the hull to act as holes for water to flood the ship.
"On the sinkings we have performed, we strategically place C-4 explosives on a vessel," Farrell says. "In this case, 800-1,000 pounds of C-4 will be needed for The United States."
He said that once the charges are detonated, a ship the size of the SS United States may take as long as five hours to sink.
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"This is a very delicate mission," Farrell says. "The trickiest part is the tow-out from the dock in Philadelphia. The tide has to be at his lowest and slowest point to ensure easy maneuverability."
Farrel says he knows this process is difficult for those who know the vessel and its history.
"This will be an emotional historic maritime moment," he said. "The SS United States is a testament to America's maritime might and engineering ingenuity. Rather than turning The United States into scrap metal, which is not cost-effective, she will have an afterlife."
Captain Farrell led the sinking of the American aircraft carrier USS Oriskany in 2006, which currently sits at the bottom of the Gulf off the coast of Pensacola, Florida.
The USS Oriskany, also known as "The Great Carrier Reef," holds the title of the largest artificial reef in the world. That is, until the SS United States breaks that record a year or two from now.
"The entire mission, from start to sinking, has to be done right," Farrell says. "The ship must settle upright so it is firmly planted into the floor of the Gulf."
