SS United States Sinking: America's Fastest Liner Goes Down Wednesday Off Florida as the World's Largest Artificial Reef

The ocean liner SS United States — still the fastest ever to cross the Atlantic — is to be sunk on Wednesday, November 11, about 22 nautical miles southwest of Destin, Florida, where Okaloosa County plans for her to become the world's largest artificial reef. Deployment operations are scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. Central time; the county cautions that the start of operations is not necessarily the moment the ship slips under.

The sinking was moved up a day. Okaloosa County announced on Monday evening, November 9, that worsening Gulf weather — heavy winds and unsafe offshore conditions forecast for Thursday — had pushed the deployment from November 12 to Veterans Day. "Safety is always a top priority in Okaloosa County," Board Chairman Trey Goodwin said in the county's announcement. "There is simply no reason to take an unnecessary risk when adjusting the schedule will allow us to carry out this historic deployment safely and smoothly."

The ship began her final journey under tow from Mobile, Alabama, on Monday morning, November 9, after lying in Mobile since March 2025 for preparation and environmental remediation. The schedule change canceled the official sendoff ceremony planned at the Destin-Fort Walton Beach Convention Center; a viewing party at AJ's Seafood and Oyster Bar in Destin was moved to Wednesday at noon, and the county plans to livestream the sinking at TheSSUS.com.

Launched in 1952 and designed by William Francis Gibbs, the 990-foot liner set the transatlantic speed record on her maiden voyage and was built so she could be converted into a troop transport if the Navy ever required it. She is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. On the bottom, in about 180 feet of water, she is expected to surpass the carrier USS Oriskany, sunk off Pensacola in 2006, as the world's largest artificial reef — and to become a destination for divers.