After 13 days for her final journey, the SS United States has entered Mobile Bay and is just hours away from docking at Modern American Recycling Services, where she will be refurbished and remediated ahead of scuttling.
The stately old gal departed Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on February 19, 2025. The City of Brotherly Love had been her home since 1996, but the love was running out following protracted legal battles about berthing fees and unrealized hopes for the ship to be restored as a hotel, museum, or other preservation purpose.
The aged ocean liner has been towed along the eastern seaboard to move to Mobile, Alabama. This is an essential step to prepare the vessel for sinking as what will become the world’s largest artificial coral reef.
Along the way on her final journey, the SS United States has experienced some of her former glory. Crowds gathered at various vantage points as she moved down the Delaware River and left Philadelphia.
The ship was far out to sea for much of the southbound portion of her relocation journey. Some rougher seas provided ethereal “ghost ship” images that give a glimpse of how the ship conquered rough waters in her heyday.
The SS United States was moved closer to the Florida coast over the past few days as she prepared to round the peninsula and turn into the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf of America) toward Mobile. That route led to a wide range of amazing viewing opportunities, and one very special encounter.
Royal Caribbean’s Utopia of the Seas, one of the world’s largest cruise ships, diverted her planned route to move alongside the SS United States, offering guests a phenomenal view of the stately ship.
Utopia of the Seas honored the SS United States as Captain Raymond Coleman offered three blasts of her horn before moving away and continuing the Oasis-class ship’s planned cruise.
On Sunday, March 2, 2025, the tow operation for the SS United States sped up in anticipation of poor weather that could have made her final hours at sea more dangerous. The ship is not sailing under her own power, but is being carefully towed for the complete journey.
Just one tug boat has been necessary to keep the ship moving along the nearly 2,000-mile route.
As the ocean liner entered Mobile Bay, dozens of fans of the vessel were gathered on the east end of Dauphin Island to watch the ship’s historic passage into the bay.
Additional tugboats will facilitate the ship’s arrival and docking, and local law enforcement patrol boats will ensure a safe zone around the SS United States so there are no untoward incidents as she concludes her final journey.
What’s Next for the SS United States
The SS United States will remain at Modern American Recycling Services for approximately one year, undergoing extensive and detailed work to ensure she can be a safe and environmentally responsible reef.
All toxic materials must be removed from the ship to ensure no damaging chemicals can leach into the marine environment.
At the same time, additional pieces of memorabilia may be removed to eventually become part of the planned land-based museum that will showcase the ship’s history and legacy near her final resting place. This includes one of the ship’s iconic funnels if its removal proves possible.
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The ship’s hull will also be structurally reinforced in such a way that when the vessel is sunk in the waters off Destin-Fort Walton Beach, she will land upright. This will provide an exemplary dive experience for visitors, which will attract tourists to the site and help spread the ship’s legacy to new fans.
At this time, there is no confirmed date for when the ship’s preparation work will be complete or when she will be officially sunk. Weather, shipyard labor, and any potential difficulties during the remediation process could all impact precisely when the SS United States will begin her new era beneath the waves.
