Current:Home > Finance'America's flagship' SS United States has departure from Philadelphia to Florida delayed -EquityExchange
'America's flagship' SS United States has departure from Philadelphia to Florida delayed
View
Date:2025-04-17 11:38:15
The historic ocean liner the SS United States will have to wait a bit longer to embark on its final voyage.
Often called "America's flagship," the SS United States measures at nearly 1,000 feet long and is the longest and largest ocean liner ever built in America. It still holds the speed record for the fastest crossing of the Atlantic Ocean by a passenger liner, an honor earned on its maiden voyage in 1952, according to the SS United States Conservancy, a nonprofit organization that honors the ship's heritage.
The plan for the historic ship is for it to be towed by tugboats to Mobile, Alabama where it will be broken down to serve as an artificial reef. After that 12-month process – where hazardous materials, fuel and other parts that could harm the environment will be removed – it will be towed to the Florida panhandle where it will rest off the state's coast near Destin-Fort Walton Beach.
But the ship's Nov. 15 departure from the Philadelphia port where it has been docked for 28 years has been delayed "because of a tropical disturbance in the Gulf of Mexico that could impede safe delivery of the vessel to its destination in Mobile, Alabama," Okaloosa County, Florida officials said in a press release.
The operation has been delayed "to ensure logistical details and procedures maintain ideal conditions for the move," Okaloosa County spokesman Nick Tomecek said, Delaware Online reported, part of the USA TODAY Network.
A new date has not been set.
Human head washes ashore:Found on Florida beach, police investigating: reports
The SS United States: What to know
Developed by shipping operator United States Lines and the U.S. government, the SS United States was part luxury liner – celebrity passengers included Marlon Brando, Marilyn Monroe, Bob Hope and John Wayne – and part secret weapon, the conservancy website says. Built with the help of the Pentagon, the ship could also quickly be converted into a troop carrier.
The SS United States is currently docked on Philadelphia’s Delaware River. The ship has been there since 1996 and can no longer move under her own steam.
Why will the SS United States become a reef?
Okaloosa County, Florida, which includes the cities of Destin and Fort Walton Beach, got the rights to the ocean liner last month to add it to its artificial reef program.
“Once deployed off Destin-Fort Walton Beach, at nearly 1,000-feet long, the SS United States will be a home for a diverse range of marine life and attract divers and anglers from around the world,” Okaloosa County said in press release, reported the Pensacola News Journal, which is part of the USA TODAY Network.
The exact location in the Gulf of Mexico for the vessel’s final resting place has not been set, but it is expected to be about 20 miles south of the Destin-Fort Walton Beach coast, officials said.
While there are benefits to artificial reefs – snorkeling and fishing among them – some sites have led to illegal dumping, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. And if what's sunken to make the artificial reef isn't properly broken down, toxic chemicals can leach out, some conservation groups say.
Contributing: Mollye Barrows, Juan Carlos Castillo, Matthew Korfhage, and Shannon Marvel McNaught
Follow Mike Snider on X and Threads: @mikesnider & mikegsnider.
What's everyone talking about? Sign up for our trending newsletter to get the latest news of the day
veryGood! (81366)
Related
- Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
- An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
- Sophia Bush comes out as queer, confirms relationship with Ashlyn Harris
- Berkshire Hathaway’s real estate firm to pay $250 million to settle real estate commission lawsuits
- 'We're reborn!' Gazans express joy at returning home to north
- Summer House Star Paige DeSorbo Uses This $10 Primer to Lock Her Makeup in Place
- Only 1 of 10 SUVs gets 'good' rating in crash test updated to reflect higher speeds
- Black man's death in police custody probed after release of bodycam video showing him handcuffed, facedown on bar floor
- Taylor Swift Eras Archive site launches on singer's 35th birthday. What is it?
- Authorities investigating law enforcement shooting in Memphis
Ranking
- Taylor Swift Eras Archive site launches on singer's 35th birthday. What is it?
- Minneapolis approves $150K settlement for witness to George Floyd’s murder
- Arbor Day: How a Nebraska editor and Richard Nixon, separated by a century, gave trees a day
- Temporary farmworkers get more protections against retaliation, other abuses under new rule
- Kylie Jenner Shows Off Sweet Notes From Nieces Dream Kardashian & Chicago West
- Murder Victim Margo Compton’s Audio Diaries Revealed in Secrets of the Hells Angels Docuseries
- American arrested in Turks and Caicos after ammo found in luggage out on bail, faces June court date
- Mississippi legislative leaders swap proposals on possible Medicaid expansion
Recommendation
A South Texas lawmaker’s 15
Deion Sanders tees up his second spring football game at Colorado: What to know
Authorities search for tech executives' teen child in California; no foul play suspected
Kelly Osbourne says brother Jack shot her in the leg when they were kids: 'I almost died'
Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
Will There Be Less Wind to Fuel Wind Energy?
Temporary farmworkers get more protections against retaliation, other abuses under new rule
Lori Loughlin Says She's Strong, Grateful in First Major Interview Since College Scandal