The S.S. United States, once a marvel of engineering and a symbol of American innovation, has begun its final voyage.
The ocean liner, which carried four U.S. presidents across the Atlantic and hosted luminaries such as Duke Ellington and Sylvia Plath, is leaving its long-standing berth in Philadelphia for a final resting place at the bottom of the sea.
According to the New York Times, after decades of rusting at the pier, hopes of restoring the ship as a museum or tourist attraction have given way to a different fate.
The 990-foot-long vessel will be repurposed as the world’s largest artificial reef off the coast of the Florida Panhandle. Before it’s sinking, however, the ship will first be towed on a 14-day journey to Mobile, Alabama, where hazardous materials, including leftover fuel, will be removed to ensure a safe descent to the ocean floor.
Nicknamed the “Big U,” the S.S. United States is the largest passenger ship ever built in the United States, surpassing the Titanic in length.
Designed by naval architect William Francis Gibbs, the liner was constructed in the early 1950s as both a luxury ocean liner and a wartime transport capable of carrying 14,000 troops. Its maiden voyage set a trans-Atlantic speed record, completing the eastbound crossing in just over three days at an average of more than 35 knots.
Throughout its service, the ship made 800 trans-Atlantic crossings, ferrying the famous and the ordinary alike. It provided passage for middle-class Americans eager to experience Europe and for immigrants seeking a new life in the United States.
However, the rise of commercial air travel gradually rendered ocean liners obsolete, leading to the vessel’s withdrawal from service in 1969.
On Friday afternoon, about three dozen onlookers gathered in South Philadelphia to witness the ship’s first move in decades. Tugboats nudged the massive hull—its once-proud black paint now peeling—across the industrial riverfront, a process that took hours.
The ship’s looming presence, across from a shopping district of fast-food restaurants and an IKEA store, had become a familiar landmark for local residents.
For many, the moment was bittersweet. Stephen Kosciesza, who traveled from Silver Spring, Maryland, recalled how his parents emigrated to the U.S. aboard the S.S. United States in 1954. “My father, apparently, was seasick,” he said. “The famous family story is that all the way over, he was saying, ‘Commodore, stop the ship! I’m getting out.’”
Others mourned the missed opportunity to preserve the ship. Devin Harrison, a maritime enthusiast from York, Pennsylvania, expressed disappointment that it would not be saved as a national treasure. “I think it should be a national treasure,” he said.
The S.S. United States Conservancy, which acquired the ship in 2011, had long hoped for a different outcome. However, a federal court ordered its eviction from the Philadelphia pier last summer, leaving little time to find an alternative.
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Efforts to secure a permanent berth failed, as major ports along the East, West, and Gulf coasts could not accommodate the ship’s size. “She’s just so darn big,” said Susan Gibbs, head of the conservancy and granddaughter of the ship’s designer.
Despite its fate, the ship’s legacy will live on. A museum in Okaloosa County, Florida, will be dedicated to its history, incorporating preserved elements of the vessel, including at least one of its iconic funnels. Meanwhile, once sunk, the ship’s remains will form an artificial reef, providing a habitat for marine life and a destination for divers.
Linda Silva, 80, who once sailed aboard the S.S. United States on a life-changing trip to Paris, reflected on its journey. “It’s not that life is a decline,” she said. “It’s just that sometimes your usefulness kind of terminates abruptly, as hers did. But it doesn’t overshadow the magnificent journey you took to get there.”
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