Key Aspects:
- A preservation group is pushing hard with a petition and fundraiser in a last-ditch effort to save the SS United States.
- Legal claims about law violations and environmental compliance are unfounded and rely on outdated legislation.
- The project to remediate the ship and eventually sink her as the world’s largest artificial reef continues as planned.
The remediation work on the SS United States is continuing in preparation for the aged vessel to be sunk as the world’s largest artificial reef. That work isn’t without opposition, however.
The New York Coalition to Save the SS United States has started both a petition and a fundraiser in a last-ditch offer to preserve the ship.
The case is emotionally compelling as a cry to save the historic ship and the glory she represents.
“On occasion we find ourselves in the perilous position where history faces destruction, and are forced to petition those who hold power to see past the fog of nebulous dealings and intervene on the behalf of the few who can afford to keep a watchful eye over that which may otherwise be ignored,” the petition begins.
Grandiose language continues throughout with phrases such as “teetering on the brink of needless destruction” “untapped potential awaiting rebirth” and “enshrine your name as a protector of history.”
The petition is targeted to government officials, including President Trump, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, and various members of the Okaloosa County Commission. No one named has yet responded to the petition.
In the more than six months the petition has been running, it has garnered fewer than 15,000 signatures.
The corresponding GoFundMe campaign, seeking to raise funds to purchase the ship, relocate her to New York City, and establish a “green technology waterfront” in Brooklyn at the Gowanus Bay Terminal, has raised just over $10,500 of its million-dollar goal. This fundraiser has also been active for six months.
There is no doubt that the issue of the ship’s decay, eviction from her former home in Philadelphia, sale to Okaloosa County, and eventual sinking is an emotional one.
The ocean liner indeed has significant meaning toward US ingenuity and engineering prowess, and is an important historic artifact with nostalgic connections for many of her supporters.
False Hopes, Hard Truths, and the Ship’s Final Course
The fact is, however, that few options were left for the ship’s eventual end. The SS United States Conservancy, which oversaw the vessel after purchasing it in 2011, has clarified the coalition’s claims.
“A wave of misinformation has erupted across liner forums, social media, and online message boards. Assertions that the ship is being illegally dismantled, that preservation options still exist, or that federal laws are being violated are false,” a statement from the Conservancy’s Southeast Chapter reads.
“Let me be crystal clear: the SS United States is legally owned by Okaloosa County, Florida. The County is the sole lawful steward of the vessel and is carrying out a carefully planned and environmentally compliant remediation in preparation for her deployment as an artificial reef.”
For example, the Coalition has claimed that a “Section 106” review should be required because of the ship’s historic significance. But because no federal agencies are needed for funding, licensing, or permitting the ship’s scuttling, no such review is necessary.
Furthermore, the ship’s presence on the National Register of Historic Places is not a legally binding title and has no bearing on whether the ship can or should be moved or sunk.
The Coalition also claims various other public laws are in effect, but the cited laws (passed in the 1970s) have been superseded by more modern legislation.
“Let’s be blunt: When it was publicly announced in 2024 that the SS United States would have to vacate Pier 82 in Philadelphia, it was made clear that the only two legal options were scrapping or reefing,” the Conservancy stated.
“No rescue plan was presented by any other credible organization, or individual. No serious funding was raised. No governmental support was secured.”
The Conservancy repeatedly emphasizes that the legal, lawful owner of the vessel is Okaloosa County. That sale was finalized in October 2024.
“If Okaloosa County were somehow stripped of ownership—which is not happening—the outcome would not be a miraculous revival. It would be scrapping. Period,” the Conservancy explains.
“Those fanning false hope are not saving the ship—they are threatening to erase her legacy entirely.”
The ongoing project to remediate the ship as planned prior to sinking the hull as an artificial reef may not be the outcome that had been hoped for, but nor is it the disaster that may be proclaimed.
Read Also: First Funnel Removed from SS United States for Museum Restoration
“The SS United States is not being scrapped. She is not being destroyed. She is being transformed—with care, compliance, and respect—into a living reef and public memorial,” the Conservancy said.
“We are not witnessing a disgrace—we are witnessing the final chapter of an American icon, honored through transition, not abandonment. Let us meet it with clarity, truth, and resolve.”
There are always two sides to every story, and it would be impossible to get everyone to agree. Nevertheless, it is important to fully understand the project and realize not what may be lost, but what may be gained as the ship is transformed into a museum and underwater site.
Dates for the ship’s eventual sinking and the opening of the land-based museum have not been announced, but the Conservancy continues to provide updates as the project continues.
