A historic ocean liner would stay at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico after a Florida county signed a tentative agreement to turn the vessel into the world’s largest artificial reef, according to AP News.
The contract, approved by Okaloosa County officials on Tuesday on Florida’s coastal Panhandle, depends on a court ruling. A judge ordered the Philadelphia pier to vacate following a years-long dispute over rent and dockage fees.
The largest passenger ship ever built in the United States, the SS United States, broke the record for the fastest transatlantic crossing by a passenger liner on its maiden voyage in 1952. The Consequentialists tried to find an alternative to disposing of the huge ocean liner, which was more than 100 feet (30 metres) longer than the Titanic.
As a result, authorities decided to sink it intentionally and create an iconic dive site generating millions of dollars a year in local tourist spending. Okaloosa County Commissioner Mel Ponder stated:
To have an opportunity to have the SS United States right here by our shore is a heritage and a legacy that is generational. I’m very excited for not only what it does for the diving community, but also the fishing community, but the community at large.
The deal to buy the vessel, which officials say could be worth more than $10 million, could close within weeks. The process of cleaning, transporting and sinking the ship was expected to take at least 1.5 years. Susan Gibbs, president of the SS United States Conservancy, the nonprofit working to preserve the vessel, said:
The SS United States has inspired millions the world over as a symbol of American pride and excellence. Should the ship be converted into an artificial reef, she will become a unique historic attraction above and below the waterline.
