January 1, American Icon Finds New Life as Florida Reef

Wyatt’s Take

• The SS United States once stood as proof of American skill and determination in a world racing to rebuild after war
• Instead of letting a national treasure rust away or get cut apart for scrap, the ship now serves a new purpose helping local families and businesses
• Hard-working communities in the heartland understand that real value comes from protecting what our parents and grandparents built

The SS United States once held the title of fastest passenger liner on the planet and stood for the drive and ambition that defined postwar America.

That proud vessel now rests on the seafloor southwest of Destin, Florida, where it was deliberately sunk to create an artificial reef.

County workers spent months removing fuel, wiring, and anything that could harm divers before the final flooding began just before 9 p.m. local time.

Sonar later confirmed the liner settled upright in roughly 180 feet of water, almost exactly where officials wanted it.

Local tourism leaders are already calling the wreck the centerpiece of their reef program and expect thousands of recreational divers to visit each year.

“Divers will need to wait for conditions around the wreck to stabilize,” local diving professional Kerry Freeland told WEAR-TV.

Freeland warned that the ship could hit the bottom hard enough to shake loose gear and that pockets of trapped air might create extra hazards.

Naval architect William Francis Gibbs designed the ship in the early Cold War years so it could carry passengers in peacetime and troops in war.

On its first crossing in 1952 the liner shattered speed records both ways and won the Blue Riband, the trophy for the fastest transatlantic passenger ship.

Over the next two decades the vessel carried presidents, royalty, movie stars, and everyday travelers between America and Europe, including Grace Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor, Marilyn Monroe, Walt Disney, and Duke Ellington.

The rise of jet airliners eventually made ocean liners too expensive to run, and the SS United States was retired in 1969.

After years of failed plans to turn the idle ship into a hotel or museum, the conservancy that had fought to save it agreed to sell the vessel to Okaloosa County for one million dollars.

The red, white, and blue smokestacks were removed before the sinking so they can be displayed in a new local museum.

Designer William Francis Gibbs’s granddaughter Susan Gibbs called the decision a painful but hopeful ending, saying reefing the ship was more respectful than sending it to the scrapyard.

Wyatt Matters

Middle America still believes in honoring the things that once made this country great instead of letting them rot or get sold for scrap.