SS United States: The World’s Largest Artificial Reef?

I honestly didn’t think I’d have to write a follow-up post quite so soon.

Last week, I wrote about the SS United States and her current, desperate situation. The SS United States Conservancy was ordered by a federal judge in June to move the ship from her longtime pier in Philadelphia. This followed after a lengthy dispute over dockage fees with Penn Warehousing. The deadline for moving the Big U was initially set for September 12, although it was later decided that that date could be used as the deadline to have a relocation plan in place.

I felt quite certain that we wouldn’t hear anything more about this until late next week (at the earliest). Imagine my surprise when, earlier today, news articles began circulating about a Florida county’s agreement to buy the ship.

Pending Sale

Various news sources have confirmed that Florida’s Okaloosa County has signed an agreement to purchase the SS United States for $9 million. The ship is destined to become an artificial reef off Florida’s panhandle.

It looks like time has finally caught up to the SS United States.

The sale has not been finalized: the county’s commissioners will be meeting on Tuesday, September 3 to further discuss the matter. The plan is for the SS United States to be sunk off the coast of Destin-Fort Walton. If this happens, she will become the world’s largest artificial reef (a record currently held by the aircraft carrier USS Oriskany). A museum dedicated to the Big U is also reportedly planned.

Escambia County (also in Florida) had been in talks to acquire the famous liner as well. Its plan was to reef the ship in the Gulf of Mexico. Yesterday, however, Escambia County’s tourism board decided to put off discussions on buying the ship.

On social media this afternoon, the SS United States Conservancy made the following comment:

As we’ve indicated previously, in an urgent effort to comply with the Judge’s initial ruling and subsequent hearing in U.S. District Court, the Conservancy has been in discussions on a range of scenarios for the ship’s future, including proposals to deploy the SS United States as an artificial reef in tandem with a land-based museum. Negotiations with Okaloosa County have been advancing positively on a confidential basis. We value the County’s appreciation of the historical importance of the SS United States, their extensive experience in respectfully and effectively deploying artificial reefs, and their desire to preserve the ship’s extraordinary legacy. However, it is inappropriate for the Conservancy to comment further until the Okaloosa Board of County Commissioners considers the contingent contract.

The SS United States’ builder’s plate. Courtesy of the SS United States Conservancy.

Later in the evening, the Conservancy sent out an email to its supporters (which was also shared to its social media accounts):

Dear SS United States Supporters:

We understand that many of you are deeply concerned about the fate of the SS United States as the September 12 eviction deadline looms. These anxieties have been compounded by today’s media coverage about the prospect of the SS United States’ potential conversion into an artificial reef in Florida. We are reaching out to share that the next chapter of the ship’s history is still being written and to provide additional background on the current situation. 

As we explained in our last e-update, earlier this month the U.S. District Court denied the Conservancy’s request for a three-month extension at the ship’s Philadelphia pier, ruling instead that we have until September 12 to present a formal agreement to the court to remove the ship from Pier 82. 

Now legally obligated to comply with the Judge’s rulings, the Conservancy has been in discussions on a range of scenarios for the ship’s future, including proposals to deploy the SS United States as an artificial reef in tandem with a land-based museum and immersive experience incorporating iconic components from the ship. To comply with the court’s ruling, we have entered into a contingent contract with Okaloosa County, Florida, to advance this vision. We must emphasize that this proposal remains subject to various contingencies, including a successful negotiation with pier operator Penn Warehousing to extend the ship’s stay beyond the September 12 deadline, while the complex logistics of moving and reefing the ship are worked out. Unfortunately, some media outlets have published misleading stories today suggesting that such a deal is a fait accompli. It is not. There are multiple discussions underway and many unresolved matters that make both the outcome and timing uncertain at this point.

Reefing is not the Conservancy’s preferred scenario for the SS United States. In an intense and all-hands-on-deck effort to keep the ship safely afloat, we have conducted a massive nationwide search for a new temporary location—a search that has thus far yielded no viable alternatives. With our hand being forced by Penn Warehousing, and scrapping being the only other viable option, we believe reefing is the more dignified outcome.

Since its founding, the Conservancy has worked tirelessly to raise public awareness about the ship’s historic importance, organize exhibitions and events, and care for a major museum collection of artwork, archival documentation, and historic components from the vessel. Our primary goal has always been to repurpose America’s Flagship and celebrate her legacy as a symbol of innovation, strength, and pride. Redeveloping the SS United States has always been a uniquely complex, costly, and challenging undertaking. We worked in close partnership for five years with prominent real estate development firm RXR Realty, and more recently MCR Hotels, to advance a commercially viable development plan for the ship. In the end, Penn Warehousing’s actions ended our ability to continue searching and advocating for a viable location for the project and we are unlikely to realize our shared dream. We are now working diligently to salvage that dream as best we can, albeit not in the way we had originally envisioned, but in a way that allows the story of our nation’s ship to inspire generations to come.

We completely understand that the prospect of reefing the SS United States may be challenging to contemplate. Many members of the Conservancy’s Board of Directors have been working to avoid such an outcome for over a decade. We vow to continue to do everything we can to best preserve her legacy each day leading up to the Court-imposed September 12 deadline, and we remain eternally grateful for your support and partnership in our shared mission.

Supporters and fans of the ship are understandably alarmed and crushed by this turn of events. Some are taking to social media and laying into the Conservancy: I had to stop reading the Facebook comments on several ocean liner groups due to all of the anger and vitriol going around.

My Thoughts

I’m saddened to hear about all this and have been rather melancholy since I heard the news. I’ve hoped since 2011 that the United States could be saved, preserved, and repurposed. But it was not to be. Sometimes things just don’t turn out the way we want them to. I guess that’s life.

But I’m also not surprised by today’s news. Deep down, I knew it was a longshot to hope that the United States would be saved at the last minute. But at least she’s not being sent to the scrapyard like so many of her contemporaries. She’ll be a major tourist attraction, and divers will be able to explore and enjoy her decks. Fish and other marine life will also thrive at the wreck site. But it’s still a shame.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to crack open a bottle of good rum and drink a toast to the SS United States and her legacy.

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