The Fastest Liner Ever Built Goes to the Bottom a Day Early

The SS United States, the ocean liner that still holds the transatlantic speed record, has a new date with the seabed. Okaloosa County in Florida has moved the sinking forward from Thursday, November 12 to Wednesday, November 11, Veterans Day, because heavy winds are forecast for the original date. Operations are due to begin at 1 p.m. Central time about 22 nautical miles southwest of Destin-Fort Walton Beach. The ship left Mobile, Alabama, under tow on the morning of November 9 after being prepared there since March 2025.

The 990-foot liner made its maiden voyage in 1952 and crossed the Atlantic in 3 days, 10 hours and 40 minutes, about 10 hours faster than the Queen Mary. Over the decades it carried presidents, film stars and, once, the Mona Lisa, before spending years docked in South Philadelphia. Its funnels, radar mast and anchor have been removed and will go on display at a planned museum. County chairman Trey Goodwin said safety comes first, and that the change gives the occasion an especially meaningful date.

Once on the bottom, the ship is expected to rest at about 180 feet, with its upper decks around 60 feet below the surface. That puts the top of the wreck within reach of recreational divers, while the deeper sections will suit technical divers. Organizers bill it as the world’s largest artificial reef, and Destin and Fort Walton Beach are counting on it to become a new reason for divers to visit the Florida Panhandle.

The schedule change has trimmed the public events. A sendoff ceremony planned for November 11 has been cancelled. Instead, a viewing party at AJ’s Seafood and Oyster Bar in Destin opens at noon with a live feed on an outdoor screen, and the same feed will stream online through the destinfwb.com tourism site. Because weather can still shift the timing at sea, anyone planning to watch should check the county’s latest update before setting off.

Sources: Cruise Industry News, CBS Philadelphia