The SS United States is set to be sunk. But new wrinkles have delayed the historic ocean liner’s next chapter
America’s flagship — the magnificent SS United States — was poised to set sail at the end of last year on her final voyage from Philadelphia to the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico to become an artificial reef.
The goodbye celebrations were planned for the ocean liner that broke the transatlantic speed record on her maiden voyage from New York to Cornwall, England, in 1952.
People arrived in the City of Brotherly Love to mourn the majestic ship that’s nearly as long as the Chrysler Building. But Coast Guard concerns and some “oily residue” has complicated the trip south.
“This is a large project and requires multiple steps to ensure a safe move,” said Nick Tomecek, public information officer for Okaloosa County, which recently purchased the long-decaying SS United States to sink off its Gulf of Mexico shores in the Florida Panhandle.
“Okaloosa County is working in collaboration with federal, state and local agencies to ensure a safe move of the ship that includes requests from the Coast Guard,” Tomecek told CNN.
