SS United States sinking livestreaming: Why is America's historic ocean liner being sunk off Florida to create world's largest artificial reef?

The SS United States will be sunk off the coast of Florida on Wednesday, becoming the world's largest artificial reef. Once a fixture of the Delaware River waterfront in South Philadelphia, the historic SS United States will be sunk Wednesday, coinciding with the Veterans Day, and become the world's largest artificial reef. The historic ship is a piece of maritime history best known for shattering the transatlantic speed record on its maiden voyage in 1952.

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SS United States history

The SS United States was christened in 1952 and was once hailed as a symbol of American engineering excellence. The ocean liner was also designed to serve a military purpose, with the capacity to transport thousands of troops during wartime. During its maiden voyage, the ship made history by breaking the transatlantic speed record in both directions, achieving an average speed of 36 knots, or more than 41 mph.


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It completed the Atlantic crossing in just three days, 10 hours and 40 minutes, beating the RMS Queen Mary's previous record by 10 hours. More than seven decades later, the SS United States still holds the transatlantic speed record for an ocean liner.

She became a reserve ship in 1969, spending her retirement years on Philadelphia's Delaware waterfront. After several different plans for the ship over the years fell through, it was sold last to Okaloosa County, Florida to become part of the world's largest artifical reef. With help from tug boats, the ocean liner was pulled down the Delaware River last Friday and out to sea where it voyaged down the East coast and around Florida.

World's largest artificial reef

The SS United States has been undergoing remediation since it was towed from Philadelphia's Delaware River waterfront last year, as preparations continued to transform the historic ocean liner into an artificial reef off Florida's Gulf Coast. Okaloosa County officials have promoted the project as both an economic development opportunity and an environmental initiative, expecting the vessel to become a major diving attraction and a new habitat for marine life.

The plan to turn the ship into what officials describe as the world's largest artificial reef took shape after Okaloosa County acquired the vessel. The historic liner had faced the possibility of being sold for scrap metal after spending nearly 30 years in Philadelphia.

The county finalised the purchase agreement with the "sole purpose of deploying her as an artificial reef to enhance Gulf marine habitat and tourism opportunities."

SS United States sinking scheduled due to bad weather

Officials had to move the sinking from Thursday to Wednesday due to bad weather in the area. A sendoff ceremony that was originally scheduled for Wednesday was also canceled. “Safety is always a top priority in Okaloosa County,” Okaloosa County Board Chairman Trey Goodwin told NBC. “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.”

"While the weather may have changed our plans, it has given this historic occasion an especially meaningful date," said Goodwin. "On Veterans Day, as we honor the men and women who served our nation, we will also honor the legacy of the SS United States, a magnificent ship that proudly bears the name of the country they so bravely defended."

How to watch the live streaming

The live stream is expected to be available at 11 a.m. CST (noon EST), ahead of deployment operations at 1 p.m. CST (2 p.m. EST). Officials have stated that they will share a link to watch the deployment via livestream. Multiple news channels stream the sinking live via the official project website at TheSSUS.com and on PNJ.com