Florida county votes to acquire SS United States and sink it to create artificial reef
Days after a judge temporarily suspended the deadline for the SS United States to leave its dock in South Philadelphia, a county in Florida says it has the money in place to acquire the historic ship.
At a meeting in Okaloosa County, Florida, on Tuesday, Sept. 24, the Tourist Development Council unanimously voted to appropriate $10.1 million to move the SS US from its current home at Pier 82 to a location off the Florida coast in the Gulf of Mexico.
Officials say the ship will then be sunk, creating the largest artificial reef in the world. To meet the project's requirements, the ship's smokestacks would likely be removed, reducing its overall height and allowing it to be "deployed" in 180 feet of water.
It's estimated the attraction could bring in $3 million annually from divers visiting the underwater cruise liner.
Officials say the $10 million appropriation would cover moving the ship, remediating environmental hazards and building a museum on land for the SS-US.
A vote finalizing the deal is expected to happen next week before the county's board of commissioners.
A court-imposed deadline of September was set for removing the ship from its Philadelphia pier, but a judge suspended that timeline while productive negotiations were underway to relocate the historic, 1950s-era vessel.
The SS United States Conservancy, the ship's owner, and the operator of Pier 82 have been involved in a public dispute for several months.
A federal trial this spring resulted in a judge ordering the ship to leave after she refused to allow the pier to double the rent.
Over the past couple of decades, grand plans were pitched for the vessel that's longer than the Titanic. A permanent location was never identified and financing was elusive.
Officials for the ship said any move should happen after hurricane season. The pier operator, Penn Warehousing and the conservancy are in active mediation with the courts to finalize a deal.