The USS United States Will Be Transported to Florida to Become The World’s Largest Artificial Reef
It has been over 70 years since the USS United States set the transatlantic speed record. Now the 1,o00 foot ocean liner is slated to hit the history books again but this time it will be an underwater record.
In a recent agreement the conservancy that oversees USS United States has struck a deal with Okaloosa County located on Florida’s coastal Panhandle to change ownership and turn the USS United States into an underwater tourist attraction.
The tentative deal states that Okaloosa County plans to purchase the ship for $10 million then engage in a lengthy process of getting it ready to be be sunken. According to stripes.com, “Okaloosa County still needs final approval from a federal judge, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. Okaloosa officials plan to sink the ship and create what supporters hope will be a barnacle-encrusted star in the 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.”
Stripes.com goes on to quote conservancy board member Thomas Watkins as saying “We can tell you that you will not be lost, you will not be forgotten, you will no longer be neglected and abused. “You will be rightly honored, cherished, and loved in a new home and in a new dimension. You will no longer be sailing the seas, but you will be surrounded and caressed by them.” In total the lengthy process from start to finish is estimated to take at least 1.5 years.
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, 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. The SS United States became a reserve ship in 1969 and later bounced to various private owners who hoped to redevelop it. But they eventually found their plans to be too expensive or poorly timed, leaving the vessel looming for years, Stripes.com goes on to report.
