Tentative agreement reached to move SS United States from Philadelphia to Florida for artificial reef
After weeks of uncertainty surrounding the fate of the SS United States, the Okaloosa County Board of County Commissioners has approved a contingent contract to acquire the famed ship and sink it off the coast of Florida.
On Tuesday, Oct. 1, the Florida county, Destin-Fort Walton Beach and SS United States Conservancy, which currently owns the ship, announced that a deal was reached to move the vessel from Philadelphia to create an artificial reef off the coast in the Gulf of Mexico.
"As you know, we have worked for over a decade to see America's Flagship repurposed, and we remain confident that she could succeed as a floating, mixed-use destination," the Conservancy said. "However, this plan to deploy the SS United States as the world's largest artificial reef would save the ship from scrapping."
As part of the deal between Okaloosa County and the Conservancy, funding will also go toward creating a land-based museum that the Conservancy said will "educate the public about the SS United States and her legacy, incorporate iconic components from the ship, and offer public access to our extensive archival and curatorial collections."
Back on Sept. 24, Okaloosa County's Tourist Development Council unanimously voted to appropriate $10.1 million to move the SS US from its current home at Pier 82 in South Philadelphia to Florida. That money will also assist with remediation and deployment and partially fund the SS US museum.
A breakdown of the costs shows:
- $1 million vessel purchase
- $7.2 million towing, remediation, deployment
- $872,000 miscellaneous costs, contingencies
$1 million for a land-based museum
According to the county, once sunk, the nearly 1,000 foot-long ocean liner would create the world's largest artificial reef.
Okaloosa County and the Conservancy said the deal could be closed in the next several weeks, "contingent upon the conclusion of the current U.S. District Court-imposed mediation."
For months, the SS United States was at the center of a lengthy legal battle over how long it could stay docked in Philadelphia, where it's been since 1996. In August, a federal judge sided with Penn Warehousing — which owns the ship's dock — and ruled the SS US couldn't remain at Pier 82 past Sept. 12.
Penn Warehousing said in court filings that it was prepared to impose a $3 million penalty if the ship was still docked on Sept. 13, a number they said represented lost profits and business.
In September, the Conservancy filed a motion to keep the vessel docked in South Philly until December and accused Penn Warehousing of acting in "bad faith" and preventing the organization from removing the ship. All the same time, plans were being worked out to have Okaloosa County acquire the SS US.
Later that month, a judge suspended the eviction deadline for the SS United States as the Conservancy, Okaloosa County and pier owners participated in court-ordered mediation.
Originally built to move troops in the event of war, the SS United States was eventually converted into a cruise liner and was considered the fastest ship in the world at the time.
Throughout its 17 years on the high seas, some of the SS US' famous passengers included four U.S. Presidents (Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, John Kennedy, and a young Bill Clinton), Judy Garland, Coco Chanel, Sean Connery, Marilyn Monroe and Walt Disney.