Latest news with #America'sFlagship
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
The huge, historic, SS United States, cruised by Palm Beach County. Where is it headed?
The historic SS United States ocean liner cruised by Palm Beach County's coast early Wednesday, Feb. 26, on its way to Alabama for a cleaning before being sunk off the Florida Panhandle to create an artificial reef. At nearly 1,000-feet-long, the 75-year-old ship is longer than the ill-fated Titanic, and unique for holding the speed record for crossing the Atlantic Ocean — a trip it made in just over three days, 10 hours. The ship's top secret creation was done in a partnership between the United States and a private company to develop a "super ship" that could be part luxury liner and part weapon to be used during the Cold War. It was built just wide enough to fit through the Panama Canal with a two-foot clearance on both sides. More: SS United States starts last voyage to its final destination – at the bottom of the Gulf But the ship, which is distinctive for its 65-foot funnels that vented smoke and exhaust away from passengers on deck, was retired from active service in 1969 and languished at a South Philadelphia pier for nearly 30 years. A dispute between pier owners and the SS United States Conservancy meant it had to vacate its longtime resting place. Okaloosa County bought the SS United States for $10 million in October, with plans to sink the ship to create an artificial reef off Destin-Fort Walton Beach and open an land-based museum. The ship left earlier this month for its estimated two-week journey to Mobile, Alabama. "While this is not the outcome we originally envisioned, the ship will have a future," the conservancy wrote on its website. "The next chapter of the SS United States story will bring tens of thousands of people annually from around the world to experience her." People may have seen the ship, widely known as "America's Flagship" off Palm Beach County's coast between 7 a.m. and noon on Wednesday. You can track the journey to Alabama here. Tugboats are being used to pull the SS United States because the long-retired ship's engines no longer work. It is expected to take more than a year to ready the ship for sinking, and up to an additional year to arrange the deployment, according to the conservancy. While the exact location of the artificial reef hasn't been determined, it is expected to be about 20 nautical miles south of the Destin-Fort Walton Beach area. The ocean liner was in service from 1952 to 1969. It was widely known as "America's Flagship" It was the fastest passenger ship every built and the largest ever made in the United States. The ship still holds the transatlantic speed record, which it won on its maiden voyage. During sea trials the ship hit 44 mph. Modern cruise ships travel about 28 mph. Famous passengers on the ship 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 U.S. presidents were also passengers on the SS United States including Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, John Kennedy and a young Bill Clinton, who was on his way to study at Oxford. Palm Beach Post staff writer Eddie Ritz contributed to this report. Kimberly Miller is a journalist for The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA Today Network of Florida. She covers real estate, weather, and the environment. Subscribe to The Dirt for a weekly real estate roundup. If you have news tips, please send them to kmiller@ Help support our local journalism: Subscribe today. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Titanic-league SS United States cruises by Palm Beach County coast
Yahoo
23-02-2025
- Yahoo
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
USA Today
20-02-2025
- General
- USA Today
SS United States starts last voyage to its final destination – at the bottom of the Gulf
The long-retired SS United States, the fastest ocean liner ever to cross the Atlantic, left the Delaware Bay on Thursday for its final voyage, after having been anchored to a Philadelphia dock for more than three decades. Despite recent rallying calls urging President Donald Trump to save 'America's Flagship' vessel, the larger-than-the Titanic ship will soon meet its watery grave. Tugboats are currently steering it down the Atlantic Ocean on a two-week trip to Mobile, Alabama, where it will be cleaned and renovated for a second life as the world's largest artificial reef off Florida's Gulf Coast. Here's the latest on the SS United States' journey south. Where is the SS United States going? The SS United States, a technological marvel when it hit the water in 1952 and broke the transatlantic speed record, left Philadelphia Wednesday to begin its journey south to Mobile, Alabama and then, eventually, off the coast of Okaloosa County, Florida. Officials in Okaloosa County bought the SS United States from the SS United States Conservancy last year. The grand ocean liner — over 100 feet longer than the Titanic — will be purposely sunk off the coast of Florida, where it will turn into the "world's largest artificial reef," according to the Destin-Fort Walton Beach tourism website. The initial part of the journey to Alabama is set to take about two weeks. The ship's engines are no longer operable, and it is instead being guided by four tugboats along the coast. The tugboats are expected to deliver the ship to a company called Modern American Recycling Services that specializes in vessel salvage. There, workers will remove contaminants from the ship and prepare it to be sunk. The process is slated to take about a year. Okaloosa County officials aren't yet sure where the ship's final resting place will be. It's expected to lie about 20 nautical miles south of the Florida Panhandle region in the Destin-Fort Walton Beach area, according to the Pensacola News Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network. Florida officials are also planning to build a museum on land for the ship. The underwater ship will be turned into an "immersive experience" for divers, according to the website. SS United States history Some of America's most rich and famous, from presidents to movie stars, sailed to Europe on the ocean liner while it was in service between 1952 and 1969. Some of those famous passengers included Marilyn Monroe, Marlon Brando, Sean Connery and Walt Disney. The ship also carried four U.S. presidents, including Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, and Bill Clinton. The SS United States was taken out of service in November 1969 as more travelers took to the air and its owner, United States Lines, lost money. The ship was sold multiple times between the late 1970s and early 2000s to scores of owners who tried and failed to redevelop it into various tourist attractions. It was finally sold to Okaloosa County in 2024. SS United States ship tracker You can follow along with the ship's journey using this tracker on the Destin-Fort Walton Beach website. The SS United States Conservancy, a nonprofit that previously owned the ship, was livestreaming the ship's voyage on Wednesday. View it leaving Philadelphia here. Contributing: George Petras and Jennifer Borresen, USA TODAY
CNN
06-02-2025
- General
- CNN
SS United States is finally set to leave Philly for Florida — and its final resting place
The SS United States is nearly on the move — again. After months of delays, the first leg of the ship's journey to her new underwater home off the coast of Florida will admittedly be quite short — from Pier 82 to Pier 80 in Philadelphia. But if all goes to plan, the majestic ship will embark on its journey to Florida on Saturday after some setbacks that delayed its original departure late last year. 'Operations to move America's Flagship will begin with a lateral move,' says a statement released Wednesday from the ship's new owner, Florida's Okaloosa County, referring to the new pier. That move was outlooked for Thursday morning but is now expected to happen on Thursday evening, according to the county. 'The SSUS will [then] depart Philadelphia on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025 at 4 a.m.' The 'Big U' will then take two weeks to travel down the East Coast and around the southern tip of Florida before stopping in Mobile, Alabama, for final preparations to be sunk off the coast of Destin-Fort Walton Beach off the Florida Panhandle. The American icon — which set the transatlantic speed record in 1952 and is nearly as large as the Chrysler Building — will then become a haven for fish and divers as the 'World's Largest Artificial Reef.' But this is 'a tentative schedule,' the statement cautioned. 'Dates, times and other logistics are subject to change.' If Saturday presents visibility challenges, the move would take place at the next low tide, the statement says. Observers of the SS United States' move have become accustomed to changes of plans. Last fall, bad weather in the Gulf of Mexico initially delayed the trip south. The biggest hurdle came in the form of a 'Captain of the Port Order' from the Coast Guard. The order obtained by CNN said the ship 'may not have suitable stability for the intended transit and presents a hazardous condition to the port or waterway.' The order said Okaloosa County needed to restore the ship's structural integrity before it would be allowed to depart. After the Coast Guard told CNN last month 'positive progress' had been made on this front, on Wednesday the county said it had 'completed the necessary safety requirements by local, state and federal agencies to move the SS United States.' The ship's previous owner, the SS United States Conservancy confirmed the move as well Wednesday, noting the county had done 'comprehensive due diligence,' and 'extensive testing' to prepare for this journey. Once the SS United States docks in Alabama, contractors will 'remove hazardous material, including non-metal parts and fuel to ensure this deployment is clean and not harmful to the environment it aims to benefit,' according to Okaloosa County. Officials said the preparation process will take about 12 months. She was withdrawn from service in 1969. The admiration never ceased. While many longtime fans of the ship have mourned the decision to sink it, the SS United States Conservancy and Okaloosa County say this was the only option to prevent the SS United States from being scrapped after it was evicted from its longtime Philadelphia pier.
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
SS United States is finally set to leave Philly for Florida — and its final resting place
The SS United States is nearly on the move — again. After months of delays, the first leg of the ship's journey to her new underwater home off the coast of Florida will admittedly be quite short — from Pier 82 to Pier 80 in Philadelphia. But if all goes to plan, the majestic ship will embark on its journey to Florida on Saturday after some setbacks that delayed its original departure late last year. 'Operations to move America's Flagship will begin with a lateral move,' says a statement released Wednesday from the ship's new owner, Florida's Okaloosa County, referring to the new pier. That move was outlooked for Thursday morning but is now expected to happen on Thursday evening, according to CNN affiliate WPVI. 'The SSUS will [then] depart Philadelphia on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025 at 4 a.m.,' says Okaloosa County. The 'Big U' will then take two weeks to travel down the East Coast and around the southern tip of Florida before stopping in Mobile, Alabama, for final preparations to be sunk off the coast of Destin-Fort Walton Beach off the Florida Panhandle. The American icon — which set the transatlantic speed record in 1952 and is nearly as large as the Chrysler Building — will then become a haven for fish and divers as the 'World's Largest Artificial Reef.' But this is 'a tentative schedule,' the statement cautioned. 'Dates, times and other logistics are subject to change.' If Saturday presents visibility challenges, the move would take place at the next low tide, the statement says. Observers of the SS United States' move have become accustomed to changes of plans. Last fall, bad weather in the Gulf of Mexico initially delayed the trip south. The biggest hurdle came in the form of a 'Captain of the Port Order' from the Coast Guard. The order obtained by CNN said the ship 'may not have suitable stability for the intended transit and presents a hazardous condition to the port or waterway.' The order said Okaloosa County needed to restore the ship's structural integrity before it would be allowed to depart. After the Coast Guard told CNN last month 'positive progress' had been made on this front, on Wednesday the county said it had 'completed the necessary safety requirements by local, state and federal agencies to move the SS United States.' The ship's previous owner, the SS United States Conservancy confirmed the move as well Wednesday, noting the county had done 'comprehensive due diligence,' and 'extensive testing' to prepare for this journey. Once the SS United States docks in Alabama, contractors will 'remove hazardous material, including non-metal parts and fuel to ensure this deployment is clean and not harmful to the environment it aims to benefit,' according to Okaloosa County. Officials said the preparation process will take about 12 months. For more than 70 years, the SS United States has captivated the hearts and minds of Americans for her distinguished beauty, her 1952 transatlantic speed record and for carrying some of the world's most precious cargo, including multiple US presidents and Leonardo da Vinci's 'Mona Lisa.' She was withdrawn from service in 1969. The admiration never ceased. While many longtime fans of the ship have mourned the decision to sink it, the SS United States Conservancy and Okaloosa County say this was the only option to prevent the SS United States from being scrapped after it was evicted from its longtime Philadelphia pier.
