The historic ocean liner SS United States is scheduled to be deployed as an artificial reef in the second week of November, marking the creation of the world’s largest artificial reef. The ship will be sunk approximately 22 nautical miles southwest of Destin-Fort Walton Beach in the Gulf of Mexico, an area designated by the U.S. government as the Gulf of America.

Okaloosa County, Florida, where the reef deployment will occur, announced the timeline for the sinking after nearly two years of preparations. The SS United States departed Philadelphia in February 2025, bound for Mobile, Alabama, where it underwent extensive preparations for the sinking process. County spokesperson Nick Tomecek noted that the exact deployment date remains weather-dependent. The ship’s sinking was originally planned for earlier in 2026 but was delayed as officials awaited final approvals from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency.

The SS United States will rest at a depth of approximately 180 feet, with its upper deck about 55 feet below the water’s surface. It will be positioned near the USS Oriskany, a decommissioned aircraft carrier measuring 911 feet, which was previously sunk to become the world’s second-largest artificial reef. Okaloosa County officials, including Board Chairman Paul Mixon, have highlighted that together, these vessels will establish the region as a leading global destination for recreational diving.

Launched in the 1950s, the SS United States served dual roles as a covert military transport and a luxury transatlantic passenger liner. It set a lasting trans-Atlantic speed record and was renowned throughout the 1960s as the fastest and most elegant way to travel between the United States and Europe. Its notable passengers included entertainers such as Judy Garland and Bob Hope, artist Salvador Dali, as well as various political figures and royalty. In later years, the vessel was used for Caribbean cruises.

The ship’s fortunes declined after its heyday, changing ownership multiple times and eventually remaining moored in the Delaware River near Philadelphia for decades. The nonprofit SS United States Conservancy, tasked with preserving the vessel, struggled to secure a new berth. In 2024, a legal dispute with the pier owner, Penn Warehousing, forced the conservancy to remove the ship immediately, confronting the threat of scrapping the historic liner.

To preserve the vessel’s legacy, the conservancy sold the SS United States to Okaloosa County, which undertook the complex process of preparing the ship for its final voyage and transformation into an underwater reef habitat. The sinking of the SS United States is expected to enhance marine ecosystems and boost tourism in the Gulf of Mexico through diving activities.