History enthusiasts are expressing outrage after officials approved plans to sink a celebrated American ocean liner once recognized as the fastest ship in the world.
The SS United States entered service in 1952, carrying figures including President John F. Kennedy, Walt Disney, Debbie Reynolds and Marlon Brando. The famed vessel also made appearances in films such as Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, featuring Marilyn Monroe, and West Side Story.
After being retired from passenger service in 1969, the liner was transferred to the US Navy and remained there until 1978. It changed owners several times afterward, but never received the new lease on life that preservationists had hoped for.
Now, the SS United States is set to make its final journey in November, when it will be deliberately sunk to become the world’s largest artificial reef.
The Board of County Commissioners in Destin, Florida, said the ship has completed the required environmental remediation. The Army Corps of Engineers has scheduled its final deployment.
The liner is expected to be placed in the Gulf of Mexico, southwest of Destin-Walton Beach, during the second week of November. Once the site is ready, it will eventually be opened to divers.
Despite the official plans, a determined coalition continues to campaign against the ship’s destruction and is calling for the historic vessel to be preserved above water.
The New York Coalition to Save the SS United States described the decision as “a slap in the face to the countless citizens — across all 50 states and around the world” who have supported efforts to protect the liner.
The SS United States was once the fastest ship to cross the ocean after entering service in 1952.
The SS United States, seen in the distance, is pictured beside the SS America in New York in 1963. Their heyday came just before commercial air travel became widely popular.
A museum planned near the future reef site will commemorate the vessel’s legacy. A concept design for the museum is shown above.
The coalition said the ship remains cherished by people who want to see it preserved as a floating landmark and enduring symbol of American excellence, innovation and pride.
“SHAME on anyone who conspired in silence against the will of We the People,” the group added.
While acknowledging that retired ships are often repurposed as artificial reefs, the coalition warned that the SS United States’ immense size and age could create environmental risks, including the possible release of carcinogenic materials into the water.
The group also created an online petition opposing the plan, attracting more than 16,000 signatures.
Supporters called for the liner to be brought back to New York, restored and incorporated into a waterfront redevelopment project.
“The SS United States is an irreplaceable piece of American maritime history and a National Historic Landmark,” one petition signer wrote. “Turning this engineering marvel into an underwater reef without exhaustive public hearings disregards its cultural and historical significance.”
Another supporter compared the vessel’s importance with that of the Statue of Liberty, writing: “This ship is every bit as important as the Statue of Liberty! Please don’t lose your history.”
During its celebrated years, the SS United States welcomed numerous famous passengers, including actress Debbie Reynolds.
The liner quickly earned the nickname “America’s Flagship.” It is pictured above on June 21, 1962, shortly before setting sail.
Multiple proposals were floated before the ultimate decision to sink the ship. A proposal in 2020 sought to restore the ship as a hotel and museum complex
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The SS United States is a relic of a different time, before air travel was accessible and when luxury liners ruled the seas.
The historic liner first set sail on July 3, 1952, ahead of Independence Day celebrations.
Harry Manning, Amelia Earhart’s co-pilot, commanded the ship and set a speed record.
The SS United States was soon dubbed ‘America’s Flagship’ and became a marvel throughout the 1950s. Once air travel became more accessible in the 1960s, the ship struggled fiscally and was retired in 1969.
In the years that followed, multiple owners took over the flagship. Plans were proposed and denied to convert the vessel into condominiums in the 1980s.
The Norwegian Cruise Line purchased the SS United States in 2003, but the 2008 financial crisis thwarted the plans, and it was put up for sale again.
In 2010, the ship came under the ownership of the SS United States Conservancy through a grant and has since been maintained by the nonprofit.
Since then, multiple proposals to revitalize the SS United States have fallen flat. In 2015, a Brooklyn businessman named John Quadrozzi Jr expressed interest in purchasing the ship and converting it to office spaces, a gym, a swimming pool, restaurants, a theater, a maritime school and a museum, the Brooklyn Paper reported at the time.
After multiple failed proposals, the ship departed Philadelphia in 2025 to prepare for reefing on the Gulf Coast
Tugboats are pictured above transporting the iconic SS United States to the south on March 3, 2025
The once iconic ship has sat empty and decaying for decades. The shell of its control room is pictured above in 2024
In 2020, a real estate firm also began approaching multiple city governments to propose a hotel-and-museum complex, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported at the time.
However, in 2024, the Conservancy told Newsweek that after a decade of trying to advance a plan, local leaders ‘did not embrace the project.’
The Conservancy explained that ‘with no viable options’ for renovation, they were forced to reach an agreement with Florida officials to move the ship south to become an artificial reef.
Despite the Coalition’s efforts, the ship was remediated. In preparation for the sinking, the ship’s tanks were emptied, exterior paint was taken off, artifacts were removed and the vessel was coated with a green floor covering.
The Daily Mail has reached out to the Coalition and the County Commissioners for comment.
The ship made history for its speed. A souvenir log from the 1950s is pictured above
History and ship lovers pleaded to save the vessel. It’s pictured above arriving after achieving the fastest Atlanta crossing
Americans flocked to board the ship throughout the 1950s. Comic Bud Abbott is pictured above with his wife, Betty, and their new puppy in 1953
After the ship’s storied history, its story is ending in the Gulf, where it will become an artificial reef