Associated Press
A Florida county is in talks to acquire a storied but aging ocean liner in a proposed deal that could create the largest artificial reef in the world.
But the plan hit a snag after local officials in coastal Okaloosa County in the Florida Panhandle postponed a vote on the plan to buy and purposefully sink the SS United States.
The largest passenger ship ever built in the U.S., the SS United States shattered a record for the fastest trans-Atlantic crossing by a passenger liner on its maiden voyage in 1952, The Associated Press reported from aboard the ship.
Now the historic vessel is in a race against time to find a new resting place, after a court set a Sept. 12 deadline for the ship to vacate its current home at a pier in Philadelphia, following a yearslong legal dispute over rent and dockage fees.
Options include scrapping the massive ocean liner — which is more than 100 feet longer than the Titanic — or purposefully sinking it to create an artificial reef. Officials in Florida’s Okaloosa County hope to do just that: send the SS United States to the bottom of the Gulf to create the world’s largest artificial reef — a diving attraction that boosters hope will generate millions of dollars a year in local tourism spending for scuba shops, charter fishing boats and hotels.
“Most divers are going to be very excited,” said David Bailey, a member of the Emerald Coast Scubaholics dive club. “But any of the reefing program is about more than just diving. … Build the reefs, you get the fish.”
County staff have been tracking the status of the boat since 2022, with advocates arguing the SS United States could be a barnacle-encrusted star in the county’s constellation of more than 500 artificial reefs.
But at a meeting of Okaloosa’s Board of County Commissioners on Tuesday, staff asked that a vote on the proposal be postponed until the board’s next meeting on Sept. 17.
“We’ve hit a wrinkle with the pier operators,” County Administrator John Hofstad explained.
A spokesperson for the county said officials there are actively working with the SS United States Conservancy, the group behind the effort to save the ship, but declined to make further comments about the status of the proposal.
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Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
5 comments
ELVIS
September 5, 2024 at 7:32 am
OK America,
This may be “THE FIRST” “THE ONE & ONLY” non-Dook 4 Brains Leftist Propaganda Yellow Journalism Desguised as News !!!!@
This is an historic day for all you fools who love A. P. articals!!!!
Enjoy your Day of Truth, Dook 4 Brains Leftys,
ELVIS [FKA EARL]
Sundance
September 6, 2024 at 5:43 pm
We used to call it illegal dumping.. now its garbage disposal with a positive tune. ..Great for the environment and not costly to us
My Take
September 6, 2024 at 11:52 pm
The legend went that this liner received the by-then uneeded powerful new engines from a planned battleship. Very fast.
It was also designed to be readily convertable to a troopship.
A very fast troopship, perhaps not needing an escort.
Andrew Finn
September 8, 2024 at 11:12 am
The SS United States is an iconic piece of American history that needs to be saved. Yes, it would be expensive. but since we can find billions of dollars to send to foreign countries, a few hundred million should not be that hard to save this piece of history. The United States is one of only a couple of liners that still exist from the “golden age” of ocean travel, along with the Queen Mary in Long Beach. They both won the Blue Riband for the fastest Atlantic crossing (the ” Queen” in 1936 and the “States” in 1952) and the United States still holds the record to this day, No ship has come close to even trying (since the Andrea Doria – Stockholm collision in 1956 partially due to speed) pretty much ended the rscing for the award. Anyway, somewhere, somehow, somebody has to come up with a solution to save this grand part of American History before it is too late.
James
September 11, 2024 at 9:57 am
And why are Okaloosa County Commissioners swerving out of their lane? This is not the job of local government. Buy more beach property to provide access to all those new homeowners who move here and will want to go to the beach.
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