After around 28 years docked at Pier 82 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the famous SS United States was hours away from a pier transfer on February 6, 2025. It would have been the first step in beginning her final voyage, but the US Coast Guard called for a delay.
She was then supposed to officially leave Philadelphia on Saturday, February 8, 2025 – just two days after the pier transfer – with her final departure now also delayed.
The historic flagship will eventually be bound for Mobile, Alabama, where she will be prepared to take on a new life as the world’s largest artificial coral reef under the ownership of Okaloosa County, Florida – which purchased the ocean liner in October 2024.
However, these plans will have to wait until the US Coast Guard can ensure a safe and proper tow for the 1952-launched vessel can be accomplished.
“Plans to move the SS United States from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Mobile, Alabama, have been delayed due to follow-up details requested by the US Coast Guard to ensure a proper tow from Pier 82 to Pier 80,” reads a statement from Okaloosa County.
The original plan was for the former ocean liner to be moved laterally from Pier 82 to Pier 80 on February 6 – ahead of being towed out of Philadelphia two days later.
Tug boats were then supposed to maneuver the ship down the Delaware River during the low tide in the early morning hours of Saturday, February 8. But of course, neither of these steps have taken place yet and new dates have not been selected.
“Because of the delay of the pier transition, the departure tow out of Philadelphia originally planned for Feb. 8, 2025, has been delayed. A new date has not been set for departure,” continued the Okaloosa County statement.
Perhaps the third time will be the charm, as this is actually the second time the 53,330-gross ton vessel’s final voyage has been delayed.
She was originally supposed to begin her final oceangoing voyage on November 15, 2024, but this was postponed due to potential poor weather and more time needed to work out “logistical details.”
Honoring the Legacy of SS United States
As one of the first great record-breaking ocean liners of the twentieth century, SS United States became a symbol of American innovation, ingenuity, and of the American Dream.
Originally designed by naval architect William Francis Gibbs, “America’s Flagship” was once an important innovative achievement of American engineering. At 990 feet long and capable of speeds over 38 knots, the liner was once the fastest and largest passenger ship ever built in the US.
To this day, the old ship still holds the record for the fastest transatlantic crossing by an ocean liner.
In her heyday, the historic ocean liner could accommodate up to 1,928 passengers and 1,044 crew members. She was in service from 1952 to 1969, originally retiring in Virginia before relocating to Philadelphia in 1996.
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The SS United States Conservancy, which was founded in 2009, has worked hard to protect the legacy of the vessel it’s named for – and fought a years-long legal battle to try to keep the ship docked in her Philadelphia home.
But once a judge ruled that the ocean liner must relocate, selling her to Okaloosa County to become an artificial reef was the best compromise to honor her history.
Not only will she take on a new purpose benefitting marine life, but the Florida county will also open a shoreside museum in Destin – which is located in the Florida Panhandle – that will highlight her history as a symbol of American ingenuity.
The process of preparing the ship to be converted and scuttled is expected to take at least a year. There is not yet a confirmed date for when the ship will officially be sunk or when the museum will open.
When she’s ready, her final resting place will be off the coast of Destin.
