SS United States now in Gulf. Can you see ship pass by from Naples, Marco Island shore?
The SS United States, the world's fastest ocean liner and 100 feet longer than the ill-fated RMS Titanic, has entered the Gulf on its way to becoming the world's largest artificial reef off Florida's Panhandle.
Still holding the record for being the largest passenger ship built in the U.S. at nearly 1,000 feet long, the vessel was purchased by Okaloosa County in October and will be sunk off Destin-Fort Walton Beach.
The ship had been docked in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for nearly 30 years before beginning its final voyage Feb. 20, guided by four tugboats.
SS United States is headed for Mobile, Alabama for cleaning and renovation before it's moved off Destin-Fort Walton Beach in Florida to become a new marine life habitat. The exact location has not been revealed.
On the way to the Gulf, the liner hugged the South Florida Coast and was spotted off Palm Beach County on Wednesday, Feb. 26.
As SS United States journeys through the Gulf, will it be visible from shore?
After a remediation process in Mobile expected to take about a year, SS United States will be towed south of Destin-Fort Walton Beach to be sunk. A date and location have not been revealed.
"Before her deployment in the Gulf waters, all of the environmentally unsafe materials will be removed. This includes all non-metal items, wiring and fuel. She will have holes strategically cut around the ship to ensure she lands upright as she is submerged. Passages will also be opened allowing for marine life to thrive in and around the ship. All of the preparations in Mobile are in close collaboration with multiple environmental agencies including the Department of Environmental Protection and Environmental Protection Agency," Destin-Fort Walton Beach's website states.
At 990 feet, the SS United States is more than 100 feet longer than Titanic.
To reduce weight and increase speed, more aluminum was used to build SS United States than any other previous project.
As a result, SS United States moved almost as fast in reverse as Titanic was able to move forward, according to the SS United States Conservancy
In 1963, Leonardo Da Vinci's Mona Lisa was reportedly transported on the SS United States to America, on loan from the Louvre in Paris for exhibitions in Washington and New York.
Four U.S. presidents were once passengers on SS United States:
Harry Truman
Dwight Eisenhower
John Kennedy
Bill Clinton
According to the SS United States Conservatory, Clinton was on his way to study at Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar.
In service from 1952 to 1969, the USS United States saw its share of other famous passengers, including:
Marlon Brando
Coco Chanel
Sean Connery
Gary Cooper
Walter Cronkite
Salvador Dali
Walt Disney
Duke Ellington
Judy Garland
Cary Grant
Charlton Heston
Bob Hope
Marilyn Monroe
Prince Rainier and Grace Kelly
Elizabeth Taylor
John Wayne
The Duke and Duchess of Windsor
SS United States moved into open waters of the Gulf after rounding the Florida Keys Thursday.
From there, it's expected to make a beeline to Mobile, Alabama, making it unlikely to be visible from shore until it reaches its destination in the northern Gulf.
USS United States left Philadelphia Feb. 14, traveled down the Delaware River to Delaware Bay and out to the Atlantic. The estimated two-week journey takes the liner down the East Coast and into the Gulf on the way to Mobile, Alabama where it will be readied for its final move south of Destin-Fort Walton Beach to be sunk.
You can track the SS United States live. An interactive map provided by Okaloosa County, showing the liner's current location, can be found here.
Support local journalism by subscribing to a Florida news organization.
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: SS United States track: Can you see ship from Naples, Florida shore?
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
High bacteria levels found in Lowcountry water. Where to avoid.
CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – Many locals and visitors might have the urge to play in coastal waters this weekend, but Charleston Waterkeeper highlights some spots to consider avoiding. The group notes that higher levels of bacteria are present after heavy rains and on lower tides, and suggests waiting 48 hours after rainfall before jumping in the water. On June 6, a water quality report from Charleston Waterkeeper states some popular spots have higher levels of Enterococcus bacteria. Those areas include Filbin Creek at Hendricks Park, three areas of Shem Creek, a portion of Hobcaw Creek, and a portion of James Island Creek. Why do you want to avoid Enterococcus bacteria? The presence of the bacteria above certain levels suggests that swimming and other recreational saltwater activities might be a risk to human health due to possible contamination by fecal waste, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Charleston Waterkeeper reports that Hobcaw Creek is safe near the mouth, but suggests proceeding with caution as you move up the creek, as it is showing high levels of bacteria near I'on. Also, the James Island Creek is showing a similar pattern. The creek is safe near Harbor View, but recreational activities are not recommended as you move up the creek, especially areas by Folly Road, according to the report. Where is it safe to swim? Beachgoers are in luck because the Charleston Waterkeeper reports that Folly Beach, Sullivan's Island Beach, and Isle of Palms are all safe to dip in the waters. Some other popular spots that are also good to go to are the Charleston Harbor, the Daniel Island Waterfront, the Cove in Mount Pleasant, Clark Sound, Folly River, and Sol Legare, according to the report. To stay updated on the Swim Alert map, visit the site here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Stockton Rush Was Dedicated to Ocean Exploration. His Cofounder Still Is Despite the Deadly Risks
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." Here's what you'll learn when you read this story: In June 2023, the OceanGate Expeditions submersible Titan imploded while descending to the wreckage of the Titanic. All five passengers died. Company cofounder Guillermo Söhnlein has publicly defended his late business partner, OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, and ocean exploration more broadly. A year after the disaster, Söhnlein announced plans for his current company to explore Dean's Blue Hole in The Bahamas. On June 16, 2023, OceanGate Expeditions CEO Stockton Rush and four other passengers left the coast of Newfoundland, Canada, for the thrill of a lifetime—a submersible dive to the sunken Titanic. Tragically, none of them returned to shore. 'They knew what they were getting into,' OceanGate cofounder Guillermo Söhnlein said. 'And yeah, and it's just, it's a sad thing that they died doing something that they were passionate about.' Streaming June 11, the Netflix documentary Titan: The OceanGate Disaster takes a closer look at the titular craft's deadly underwater implosion and the events preceding it. It also examines the business practices of Rush and whether they ultimately played a role in the accident. While Rush's company has drawn intense scrutiny, Söhnlein has rendered a different image of his former business partner—insisting his commitment to exploration is worth continuing. Rush and Söhnlein cofounded OceanGate in 2009 in Seattle. Similar to space tourism brands such as Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic—created by Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson, respectively—the company's mission was to make undersea exploration more accessible. According to Söhnlein, he and Rush planned to purchase a 'fleet' of submersibles capable of diving at least 4,000 meters. The craft could be used for a variety of purposes, including tourism, military operations, and scientific research. 'The whole intent was to create these work subs and, in that way, as our tagline was in the early days: Open the oceans for all of humanity,' Söhnlein told Sky News in 2023. The company's first five-person submersible, Antipodes, followed this model and was used primarily by researchers and what Söhnlein called 'citizen scientists'—or regular people fully trained as crew members for their respective excursions. In June 2011, Antipodes successfully explored the wreckage of the S.S. Governor off the coast of Washington. But by 2013, Rush determined OceanGate needed to build its own craft to explore greater depths as originally intended. That same year, Rush became CEO when Söhnlein left the company, though he maintained a minority stake. He testified that as of September 2024, he had approximately 500,000 common shares but 'basically resigned myself to the fact that I'm probably never going to see anything out of that equity stake.' That's because of what would happen a decade later in the North Atlantic Ocean. In July 2021, OceanGate made its first successful dive to the wreck site of the Titanic, the massive ocean liner that sank on April 14, 1912, and resulted in more than 1,500 deaths. Rush and his team used the company's Titan submersible, which had a unique carbon fiber hull to make it lighter and less expensive to build. But during the expedition in June 2023, team members lost contact with the Titan. After a frantic days-long search for the craft, investigators recovered debris on June 22 and determined the submersible suffered a catastrophic implosion. All five passengers—including Rush, 61, and Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet, 77—died. The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) later determined that layers of the Titan's carbon fiber hull had begun to delaminate, or break apart, a year prior—ultimately compromising the craft's integrity. This, along with testimony from a former employee saying an accident was 'inevitable,' led to scrutiny of Rush's business and safety practices as company CEO. The Netflix documentary promises to look at 'technical challenges, moral dilemmas, and shockingly poor decisions' that led to the implosion. However, Söhnlein, who has never been on a Titanic dive, has publicly defended Rush. He denied leaving OceanGate over safety concerns and told CTV News that OceanGate 'operated as safely as possible and we had a very safety-conscious culture' prior to his 2013 departure. Then in September 2024, Söhnlein testified to a USCG panel that Rush performed the first manned test dive of Titan on his own and recalled their conversation beforehand. 'He goes, 'I don't want anyone else in the sub. If anything happens, I want it to only impact me. It's my design, I believe in it, I trust it, but I don't want to risk anyone else,'' Söhnlein said. Söhnlein will offer his full thoughts about the Titan tragedy with the November 2025 release of his book, Titan Unfinished: An Untold Story of Exploration, Innovation, and the OceanGate Tragedy. In the wake of the accident, OceanGate suspended 'all exploration and commercial operations.' But Söhnlein, undeterred by his friend's death, has continued to advocate for underwater exploration. In June 2024, he announced plans for his own company, Blue Marble Exploration, to launch a craft to Dean's Blue Hole, an underwater sinkhole located in The Bahamas. Scientists have measured its depth at 663 feet, but no humans have ever reached the bottom. However, Blue Marble Exploration's website currently doesn't include any information about the company or planned excursions to the blue hole or elsewhere. Although it's unclear what the future holds for his company, Söhnlein has expressed hope that the Titan implosion won't deter other explorers and said future missions would be a way to honor the five victims. 'Those of us who work in the deep-ocean community know that there are risks. We know that working down there is difficult,' Söhnlein told the Seattle Times in 2023. 'And yet we all believe in what we're doing. We believe that what we're doing is greater than us.' Titan: The OceanGate Disaster begins streaming Wednesday, June 11, on Netflix. Tudum has confirmed the project includes new testimony about OceanGate and 'footage from the company's early days.' You Might Also Like Nicole Richie's Surprising Adoption Story The Story of Gypsy Rose Blanchard and Her Mother Queen Camilla's Life in Photos
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Springfield-Branson National Airport unveils new history exhibit
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — The Springfield-Branson National Airport (SGF) and History Museum on the Square teamed up to create a new exhibit that is now on display at the airport. The exhibit, titled 'History of Aviation in the Ozarks,' is now open to the public and can be viewed in the terminal lobby, near the airline ticket counters. Steel, aluminum tariffs expected to impact Springfield consumers SGF says the three-panel display showcases the many stories of the Ozarks' aviation and cultural history. The exhibit features thousands of photos and artifacts reviewed by the History Museum team, such as photos of Harry Truman, pilots in Phelps Grove Park in 1916 and numerous Ozark Airlines milestones. 'Since its opening in 2009, the Springfield-Branson National Airport has served as a destination in itself for the Ozarks,' said Brian Weiler, director of aviation at SGF. 'But while we are a modern airport, there have been decades of aviation history in our region that led the airport to be what it is today. We honor the work of the aviators and pilots before us with this new exhibit and partnership.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
