News — SS United States Conservancy

Artificial Reef

13 News Now: Newport News-built SS United States passes by birthplace on final voyage to become the world's largest artificial reef

13 News Now: Newport News-built SS United States passes by birthplace on final voyage to become the world's largest artificial reef

The historic, aging ocean liner that a Florida county plans to turn into the world's largest artificial reef departed from south Philadelphia's Delaware River waterfront on Wednesday, marking the opening segment of its final voyage.

Smithsonian Magazine: The Historic S.S. ‘United States,’ the Fastest Liner to Cross the Atlantic, Is Heading to a Watery Grave

Smithsonian Magazine: The Historic S.S. ‘United States,’ the Fastest Liner to Cross the Atlantic, Is Heading to a Watery Grave

The S.S. United States, the fastest liner ever to cross the Atlantic, has been moored in Philadelphia for nearly three decades. Eventually, officials plan to deliberately sink the vessel off the coast of Florida, where it will become the world’s largest artificial reef—a fate that’s been delayed once again.