Watch: Divers explore US ship sunk off Florida coast to create new reef

The SS United States was deliberately scuttled at approximately 10 p.m. ET on Wednesday roughly 25 miles southwest of Destin, Florida, to become the world's largest artificial reef. The vessel, which served as a luxury ocean liner and troop carrier from 1952 to 1969, is already open to divers as officials and local experts prepare for the site to become a major tourist and research destination. This report focuses…

The SS United States, once the fastest passenger ship in the world, was deliberately sunk off Florida's coast to become the world’s largest artificial reef. The $13.5 million project involved flooding the ship with water instead of using explosives due to environmental regulations; it took several hours for the 990-foot vessel to fully submerge in around 180 feet of water, approximately 25 miles southwest of Destin…

The S.S. United States, once the world's fastest ocean liner and longer than the Titanic, is scheduled to be sunk off Florida’s coast on Wednesday as an artificial reef in a $13.5 million project aimed at boosting tourism. The ship, known for its historic voyages carrying celebrities like Grace Kelly and President Kennedy, will sink without explosives into about 180 feet of water, creating a diving site and marine…

The SS United States, once the world’s fastest ocean liner, was deliberately sunk off the coast of Destin, Florida on November 11 to become an artificial reef. Measuring nearly 305 meters long, the ship underwent a year-long process to remove hazardous materials and cut holes for controlled sinking. Organizers expect it to rest upright at a depth of 55 meters, with its upper deck about 15 meters below water…

The historic SS United States, once America's fastest ocean liner built in 1950-1951, began sinking off the coast of Destin-Fort Walton Beach, Florida, on Wednesday. The ship, which had been docked in Philadelphia for nearly three decades, was deliberately flooded with seawater to become the largest artificial reef at a depth of about 60 feet. Officials carved holes in the deck and removed over 400 portholes to…

The SS United States, once the largest American-built passenger ship and the world’s fastest, has been deliberately sunk off the coast of Florida in the Gulf of Mexico to become the world’s largest artificial reef. In a live stream broadcast, viewers watched as the 302-meter-long vessel was towed out to sea by numerous tugboats and recreational vessels for its final voyage, with safety crews present to ensure a…

The historic SS United States, known for being the fastest ocean liner during its service, was deliberately sunk off the coast of Florida on November 9, 2026, as part of a $13.5 million project to create an artificial reef. The process took longer than expected, with the ship remaining visible in the water until around 9 p.m., when it finally sank entirely. This controlled sinking aims to attract divers and fishing…

On November 11, the SS United States, a former record-breaking ocean liner, was deliberately sunk in the Gulf of Mexico off Florida's coast as part of a $13.5 million project to create an artificial reef. The process took several hours longer than anticipated; crews filled 128 tanks with water to ensure even sinking, and by 9 pm, the ship had tilted and fully submerged.

The SS United States, the fastest ocean liner in transatlantic history, was deliberately sunk off the coast of Destin, Florida, on Wednesday. The process, which began at 5 p.m. Eastern time when water was allowed into the vessel, lasted until 10 p.m., when the ship reached the ocean floor and became the world’s largest artificial reef. The article describes the ship as a symbol of American engineering ingenuity…

The SS United States, a historic American ocean liner, was deliberately sunk off the coast of Destin, Florida, on Wednesday night to become a diving attraction. The ship, which set transatlantic speed records in 1952 and served as a symbol of American postwar ambition, was scuttled roughly 22 nautical miles southwest of Destin and now rests upright about 180 feet below the surface. Okaloosa County tourism officials…

The SS United States, a nearly 1,000-foot ocean liner and former transatlantic speed record holder, was scuttled on Wednesday in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Destin, Florida. After Florida’s Okaloosa County purchased the vessel for $1 million in 2024, the ship underwent a yearlong preparation process to be converted into the world's largest artificial reef. The article frames the sinking as a deliberate…