For decades, the former luxury ocean liner had been docked in Philadelphia before it left on February 19, arriving in Mobile ahead of schedule on Monday. The 1,800-mile journey from Philadelphia to Alabama is the ship's 401st voyage.
SS United States begins journey down Delaware River, out of Philadelphia
Crews will spend about six months cleaning the 1,000-foot (305-meter) vessel and removing hazardous materials as they prepare it to eventually be sunk off Florida's Gulf coast.
In fall 2024, Florida's Okaloosa County bought the ship after approving a $10.1 million plan to relocate the ocean liner, sink it and build a $1 million seaside museum chronicling its history.
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It's been an emotional process for many who have memories of the SS United States. That includes a 91-year-old woman from Mississippi, who was on the ship's maiden voyage in 1952.
The vessel's final resting place will be off the coast of Destin-Fort Walton Beach, Florida, where it will become the world's largest artificial reef.
Okaloosa County hopes the ship will become a destination for scuba divers and attract fish and other wildlife as a reef. It won't be the only shipwreck habitat they have.
Christened in 1952, the SS United States was once considered a beacon of American engineering, doubling as a military vessel that could carry thousands of troops. On its maiden voyage from New York to France in 1952, it shattered the transatlantic speed record in both directions, when it reached an average speed of 36 knots, or just over 41 mph (66 kph).
On that voyage, the ship crossed the Atlantic in three days, 10 hours and 40 minutes, besting the RMS Queen Mary's time by 10 hours. To this day, the SS United States -- which is nearly as large as the Chrysler Building -- holds the transatlantic speed record for an ocean liner.
It was originally designed to transport troops and was then reimagined into an ocean liner with passengers who included four U.S. presidents and celebrities.
It became a reserve ship in 1969 and later bounced to various private owners who hoped to redevelop it but eventually found their plans to be too expensive or poorly timed.