 "S.S. United States, largest passenger ship made in America, sets sail on its final voyage")
After decades of rusting along the Philadelphia waterfront, the S.S. United States, the largest passenger ship ever built in America has embarked on its final journey .
The 990-foot-long ocean liner, better known as the “Big U” was once a symbol of postwar luxury and speed.
Now, it is on its last trip– a 14-day voyage that began Wednesday (February 19) to Mobile, Alabama, where it will be prepared for its final resting place, New York Times reported.
World’s largest artificial reef
The S.S. United States, once a trans-Atlantic marvel, will start a new chapter there as the world’s largest artificial reef off the Florida Panhandle.
The ship’s uppermost sections will rest 60 feet below the surface, providing a new habitat for marine life such as snappers, urchins, and crabs.
Alex Fogg, natural resources chief for Destin-Fort Walton Beach, Florida, said the artificial reef is expected to become a top diving destination, drawing visitors from around the world.
A storied history
Designed by naval architect William Francis Gibbs in the early 1950s, this ship held the record for the fastest trans-Atlantic crossing on its maiden voyage, completing the eastbound trip in three days, 10 hours, and 40 minutes at an average speed of more than 35 knots– a record it still holds.
At more than 100 feet longer than the Titanic, the ship ferried four US presidents, hosted jazz legend Duke Ellington and writer Sylvia Plath, and carried thousands of immigrants, tourists, and dignitaries across the Atlantic. It completed 800 trans-Atlantic crossings before being retired in 1969, as air travel replaced ocean liners as the preferred method for crossing the Atlantic.
Although preservationists had hoped to restore the vessel, a federal court order last year forced the S.S. United States Conservancy, the nonprofit that purchased the ship in 2011, to move it from Pier 82 in South Philadelphia. Efforts to find a new home at ports along the East, West, and Gulf Coasts proved unsuccessful.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsA legacy, solidified
Because the vessel can no longer move under its own power, five tugboats guided it down the Delaware River and Bay. The ship passed under the Walt Whitman Bridge just before low tide, clearing the roadway by less than 10 feet, as traffic was temporarily halted, New York Times reported.
After it arrives in Mobile, workers will remove hazardous materials, including fuel still in its tanks, before the vessel is sunk in about 180 feet of water.
While the ship will rest beneath the sea, its legacy will live on through a planned museum in Okaloosa County, Florida. The museum will incorporate preserved parts of the ship, including at least one of its iconic funnels.
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