Historic ship SS United States to be sunk to create world's largest artificial reef

The historic ship SS United States is being sent to the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico. This Thursday (12 November), the vessel will be deliberately sunk near Destin, Florida, to create the largest artificial reef in the world.

Alex Fogg, Natural Resources Chief of Okaloosa County, Florida, described the plan in an interview with NPR.

Fogg said the SS United States is a huge ship. In his words, 'It's huge. We've done a lot of artificial reef projects in the past, and this one really sticks out really 'cause of its size, but also its storied past.'

The ship was built in the early 1950s. It sailed back and forth to Europe. It was retired in the late 1960s when air travel became much more efficient.

During that time, the ship carried all sorts of famous people. It was also built to serve as a troop carrier in the event of the United States getting involved in another world war.

The ship then sat for decades in Philadelphia before being brought down to Florida. Fogg said towing it from Philadelphia all the way to Mobile, Alabama, was a very long tow.

He said a lot of checks and balances had to be done with the contractor, naval architects, the U.S. Coast Guard and other entities to make sure it was seaworthy enough to be towed. The full remediation of the ship took place in Mobile.

Asked why a nearly 900-foot ship would be sunk intentionally in the Gulf of Mexico, Fogg said they had been looking for ways to increase artificial reef construction to benefit tourism and the environment.

In his words, when people come diving in a destination, they do not want to dive on sand, or on natural reefs all the time. They want to be a bona fide wreck diver. Deploying these wrecks started to put the area on the map as a dive destination.

Fogg said the plan was that if a vessel of very large size or a very cool story came along, they would pursue it. And the SS United States was that ship.

But the sinking has drawn opposition. Last week, a nonprofit conservation group for the ship filed a lawsuit to prevent it, citing concerns about the environmental impact and potential harm to marine organisms and the food web, including that which would affect human consumption.

On this, Fogg said the SS United States has a really big following. Many people wanted to save the ship, wanted to see it become a museum or put back into service. But the fact of the matter is, there were no other options.

He said there was no viable plan and no funding to accommodate a project to restore it. So Okaloosa County is saving the ship by acquiring it and giving it another life as the world's largest artificial reef.

Fogg added that there is a lot of data showing that putting structures in areas without reefs or natural features is a huge benefit to the environment. He said all the federal standards, state standards and every other standard for cleaning artificial reefs have been met.

Fogg, himself a diver, said diving is an addiction he does not think he will ever kick. Every dive is different. Down there, you are surrounded by fish and all the different things growing on these reefs — an incredible experience.

The ship sinking can be viewed online on Thursday, November 12.