Fastest ocean liner to cross Atlantic, SS United States, coming to Florida. Its future
The fastest ocean liner ever to cross the Atlantic Ocean is on its way to the Gulf Coast.
The voyage will take about two weeks and it won't end well for the ship.
The long-retired SS United States will become the world's largest artificial reef off the Florida coast after its cleaned and renovated in Mobile, Alabama.
That's a much different life from where the SS United States started, when it set the transatlantic speed record on its maiden voyage, crossing the Atlantic in 3.5 days. It's a record it still holds today, according to the SS United States Conservancy.
Here's what to know about the ship and its future.
The SS United States left Delaware Bay Thursday, heading for Mobile, Alabama, a trip expected to take two weeks.
The ships engines are no longer functioning, so the ship is being guided by four tugboats along the Atlantic coast before it moves into the Gulf of Mexico, renamed to the Gulf of America by executive order from President Trump.
➤ Follow the SS United States on this tracking map
Officials in Okaloosa County bought the SS United States from the SS United States Conservancy last year.
The ocean liner will be sunk off the coast, where it will become the "world's largest artificial reef," according to the Destin-Fort Walton Beach's tourism website.
"Once deployed off Destin-Fort Walton Beach, at nearly 1,000-feet long, the SS United States will be a home for a diverse range of marine life and attract divers and anglers from around the world."
Exactly where the ship will be sunk hasn't yet been determined but it's expected to lie about 20 nautical miles south of the Florida Panhandle in the Destin-Fort Walton Beach area.
The underwater ship will be turned into an "immersive experience" for divers, according to the tourism website.
Florida officials also are planning to build a museum on land for the ship. The museum will include the ship's funnels, radar mast and other components, and an extensive curatorial and archival collection.
Modern American Recycling Services, a company specializing in vessel salvage, will remove contaminants from the ship and prepare it to be sunk.
That process is expected to take about a year.
The SS United States has been anchored at Pier 82 on Philadelphia's Delaware River since 1996.
The ocean liner:
Was in service from 1952 to 1969
It was widely known as "America's Flagship"
It was the fastest passenger ship ever built and the largest ever made in the USA
The SS United States still holds the transatlantic speed record, achieved on her maiden voyage using only two-thirds of her power. During sea trials she hit 44 miles per hour. Modern cruise ships travel at around 28 mph.
The ship could be quickly converted into a troop carrier able to transport 14,000 military service members for 10,000 miles without refueling, and she could do it faster than any other ship before or since.
Famous passengers included Walt Disney, Marilyn Monroe, Marlon Brando, Sean Connery, Walter Cronkite, Judy Garland, Cary Grant, Charlton Heston, Bob Hope, Prince Rainier and Grace Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor, John Wayne, and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.
Four presidents traveled on the ship: Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, and Bill Clinton.
The ship was sold multiple times between the late 1970s and early 2000s to several people who tried and failed to redevelop it into various tourist attractions.
It was sold to Okaloosa County in 2024.
Length
United States: 990 feet
Titanic: 882.5 feet
Decks
United States: 12
Titanic: 9
Capacity
United States: 3,016 (or 15,000 troops)
Titanic: 3,547
Cabins
United States: first class 894; 524 cabin class; 554 tourist class; 1,044 crew
Titanic: first class 735; 674 second class; 1,024 third class; 860 crew
Transatlantic crossings
United States: 800
Titanic: 0
Top speed
United States: 44 mph
Titanic: 28 mph
Dates in service
United States: June 3, 1952 to Nov. 14, 1969
Titanic: April 10, 1912 to April 15, 1912
All information provided by SS United States Conservancy.
The SS United States was built almost completely fireproof. It was said the only wood aboard the ship were the "pianos and the butcher's blocks."
"William Francis Gibbs, the vessel's designer, only allowed mahogany pianos on board after Theodore Steinway succeeded in demonstrating his pianos' fire-resistant qualities by dousing one of them in gasoline and setting it alight," according to the SS United States Conservancy.
Contributing: Lori Comstock, Karissa Waddick, USA TODAY; Collin Bestor, Northwest Florida Daily News
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: SS United States Florida destiny: World's largest artificial reef
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The Hill
2 hours ago
- The Hill
Trump's new travel ban leaves narrow openings for challengers
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Miami Herald
3 hours ago
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Separated from kids in Cuba and Haiti by Trump travel ban, parents plead for help
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But the lifting of restrictions relies on the foreign governments improving 'their information-sharing and identity-management protocols and practices.' So far, the Cuban government has not signaled it is interested in improving its cooperation with the U.S. and instead attacked Secretary of State Marco Rubio. After the travel ban was announced, Cuba's foreign minister said the measure 'aims to deceive the American people, blaming and violating the rights of migrants. Anti-Cuban politicians, including the Secretary of State, are the main proponents of this measure, betraying the communities that elected them.' Trump's proclamation also notes Cuba remains on the U.S. list of countries that sponsor terrorism. The ban also comes at especially difficult time for Haitians in a country wracked by gang violence. 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Gleydys Sarda, 26, and her husband took the difficult decision to flee Cuba and left their 3-year-old son under the care of his grandparents in 2022. They didn't want to expose him to what they knew could be a dangerous land journey to the U.S. Southern border, she said. Now, he is 6 years-old, under the care of a grandparent and increasingly anxious to be with his parents. 'We live depressed because of the long wait; we ran out of excuses to tell him when he asks why he cannot be with us,' said Sardá, who is a U.S. permanent resident and works for Amazon at a warehouse in Coral Springs. 'Lately, he has been repeating more than ever that he wants to be here, that he is tired of waiting, and now this restriction broke our hearts. We have no other way.' Sardá's visa petition to bring him to the United States has yet to be approved. 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Yahoo
7 hours ago
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Fewer Americans want to visit Europe this summer, survey suggests
The Brief U.S. interest in traveling to Europe this summer has dropped by 7 percentage points. Cost concerns are the top barrier, but politics and global perception may also play a role. Chinese tourism to Europe is rising sharply, making up for lost American visitors. LOS ANGELES - Fewer Americans are planning to vacation in Europe this summer, and international travel sentiment in the U.S. remains weak compared to 2024, according to new survey data from the European Travel Commission. Just 33% of U.S. respondents say they plan to visit Europe this summer, a 7% drop from last year. While high travel costs and the appeal of domestic trips were the top reasons cited, the ETC also noted a more subtle factor: a growing number of Americans may be feeling self-conscious about how they're perceived abroad — particularly under the foreign policy direction of President Trump's administration. The data suggests a cooling of enthusiasm not just among Americans toward Europe, but possibly in the other direction as well. The backstory The report attributes much of the drop to rising travel costs, which were cited by nearly half of U.S. respondents not planning a European trip. Still, the ETC noted that "worries about being negatively perceived overseas under Trump's confrontational foreign policy" may also be playing a role in shaping travel behavior — a trend supported by the regional split in travel intent. For example, 43% of Americans from the Northeast, a region that typically leans Democratic, still plan to visit Europe — compared to just 33% nationally. That regional gap, the ETC suggests, reflects a political divergence that's influencing how comfortable people feel traveling internationally. Despite a small uptick in overall long-haul travel sentiment in 2025, travel to Europe specifically has lost ground across several major markets. Dig deeper While U.S. enthusiasm has declined, other regions are showing different patterns: China stands out, with 72% of surveyed travelers planning a trip to Europe — a 10% increase from 2024. Brazil and Canada both showed declines of 6% and 5%, respectively. Japan recorded the lowest level of interest, with just 13% of respondents planning a European vacation. The ETC attributed the rise in Chinese travel to economic recovery, higher disposable incomes, and a growing cultural emphasis on travel and lifestyle experiences. Why you should care The shift has real implications for both the European tourism industry, which was valued at $1.3 trillion in 2024, and for U.S. global engagement. Visits to the U.S. from countries like Germany have plunged — down 28% year-over-year in March — as global visitors increasingly turn to destinations that feel more politically neutral or welcoming. The ETC warns that strained international relations and economic instability make long-term travel forecasts harder to predict. However, they also emphasized that Europe remains committed to attracting high-value travelers by promoting earlier departures, lower-cost destinations, and off-season opportunities. What they're saying "At a time of declining consumer confidence globally, it is more important than ever to strengthen Europe's position as a top destination," said Miguel Sanz, President of the European Travel Commission. "This means improving the competitiveness and accessibility of European experiences while continuing to showcase lesser-known destinations and off-season travel." The Source This article is based on the Long-Haul Travel Barometer 2/2025, jointly published by the European Travel Commission and Eurail BV. Additional context and commentary were included in a press release dated June 2025, with attribution to Miguel Sanz and regional travel sentiment data collected across multiple international markets.
