In One Ear: Unavoidable choice
The largest ocean liner constructed in the U.S., the SS United States, only sailed for 17 years, but still holds its 1952 title for the fastest Atlantic crossing by a passenger ship. Retired in 1969, the once iconic ship has fallen on hard times.
It's been a long and often ugly battle, but the former luxury cruise liner has finally found a new home. That's only after wrangling in and out of court over rent and possible eviction with the pier company owners in Philadelphia, where the ship has been docked and deteriorating since 1996, Maritime Executive reports.
The current owner, the SS United States Conservancy, had hoped to revive the ship to its former glory. But, with its back against the wall, on Oct. 12 the conservancy reached a settlement with the pier company, then signed the ship over to its new, and final owner, Okaloosa County, Florida, which is on the Gulf of Mexico.
The ship will be sunk to create the world's largest artificial reef, accompanied by a museum and visitor center, featuring "artworks and artifacts" from the ship, and an "immersive experience."
"Unable to save the SS United States in her current state, and under a binding court order," Susan Gibbs, president of the conservancy, said, "we faced the painful but unavoidable choice between scrapping America's flagship, or converting her into an artificial reef ...
"We chose the latter as the most dignified path. While this is not the outcome we originally envisioned, the ship will have a future." (Photos: Steamship Historical Society of America/Fox 29)
