A Famous Ocean Liner Is Days From Being Sunk, and a Lawsuit May Stop It

The SS United States, the historic American ocean liner, is scheduled to leave its Alabama pier on November 9 for a tow to the Gulf of Mexico, where Okaloosa County plans to sink it as an artificial reef. Days before that departure, the SS United States Preservation Foundation went to court to try to stop it, according to a November 6 report from Cruise Hive.

The foundation filed suit on November 3 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida, naming the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the county. It followed on November 4 with an emergency motion seeking a preliminary injunction and a temporary restraining order. The suit alleges violations of the National Historic Preservation Act and the National Environmental Policy Act.

A central concern is the ship’s coatings. The foundation points to zinc chromate paint and hexavalent chromium that could enter Gulf waters if the hull is sunk, while the county’s own FAQ says the coating is not a federally regulated substance for artificial reefing. Neither the county nor the Corps had issued a formal response when the report was published, and no change to the schedule had been announced.

If the plan goes ahead, a public sendoff is set for November 11 in Destin, with deployment expected to start at 10 a.m. on November 12, about 22 nautical miles southwest of Destin-Fort Walton Beach. The Coast Guard has set a 100-yard moving safety zone during the tow and asks other vessels to stay at least a nautical mile away at the site. All times depend on weather, and the court ruling could still change the timeline.

Sources: Cruise Hive