The future of the iconic ocean liner SS United States may be coming into focus after years of legal battles regarding overdue rent payments at the Philadelphia pier where the derelict ship is docked.
The Okaloosa (Florida) County Board of County Commissioners announced on October 1, 2024 that it has approved a contingent contract to buy the ship and sink it off the coast of Destin-Fort Worth Beach where it will become an artificial reef.
The county also would create a shoreside museum dedicated to the history of the ship. The Destin area is located in the Florida Panhandle, on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico.
County officials issued a conservative estimate of $10 million for the purchase, transport, and other actions required to turn the ship into an artificial reef. The offer is contingent on the outcome of a court-ordered mediation that began in late September.
The ship’s caretaker, SS United States Conservancy, has been battling in court with the landlord of Philadelphia’s Pier 82, Penn Warehousing & Distribution, over unpaid rent. The landlord in 2021 raised the rent at the pier to $1,700 per day, far more than the conservancy could pay.
The group has been trying to find another location for the ship, and has racked up unpaid back rent. It also had been working with Okaloosa County on a proposal to turn the ship into an artificial reef.
U.S. District Court Senior Judge Anita B. Brody recently ruled that the conservancy and the landlord must engage in mediation to resolve the financial issues, and the mediation began around September 24, 2024.
It is not entirely clear how the purchase offer from the Florida county will impact the mediation process, but the contingent contract is the most formal option yet to emerge in the case.
Before the SS United States was retired in 1969, she held — and still holds — the transatlantic speed record. The ship was designed by naval architect William Francis Gibbs and constructed in 1952. She was, at the time, the biggest passenger ship built. in the US.
“The vessel is widely considered the pinnacle of American post-war maritime engineering and a soaring symbol of her namesake nation. The SS United States Conservancy has kept the famous ocean liner safely afloat since acquiring her in 2011,” a statement from Okaloosa Board of County Commissioners said.
“Once deployed off Destin-Fort Walton Beach, at nearly 1,000-feet long, the SS United States will be a home for a diverse range of marine life and attract divers and anglers from around the world,” the statement added.
Artificial Reefs Are Big Business in Florida
Artificial reefs off the Florida Panhandle are big revenue makers, thanks to economic activity and job creation to build and maintain the reefs. A Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission estimates that for every dollar spent on artificial reefs in that area, the economic benefit of a reef system over its life span is $138.
Read Also: Discovering Abandoned Cruise Ships and Ocean Liners
The Destin-Fort Worth Beach area is known as the World’s Largest Artificial Reef, and is a haven for divers, recreational fishermen, and others.
“The SS United States will be an exciting addition to the many artificial reefs and wrecks available in Destin-Fort Walton Beach for divers to explore while providing essential habitat for the fishery that our fleet is so dependent on,” said Jennifer Adams, tourism director of Destin-Fort Walton Beach.
Calling the SS United States a symbol of American pride and excellence, the conservancy believes the ship, as an artificial reef and with an accompanying shoreside museum, would become a world-class destination.
“We are confident that the experienced and committed team in Okaloosa County fully appreciates the historic significance of the SS United States and our longstanding commitment to educating and exciting future generations about this unique expression of American maritime history and technological innovation,” said Susan Gibbs, president of SS United States Conservancy.
The group originally intended to repurpose the aging ship as a mixed-use development, similar to the Queen Mary attraction in Long Beach, California. However, a court order that effectively evicted the ship from its Philadelphia pier, due to nonpayment of rent, pushed the group toward other solutions. An appeal of that order was denied in August 2024.
