WATCH LIVE: SS United States, Long A Philly Icon, Sunk Wednesday Off Florida Coast

DESTIN, FL — Long a guest of the Philadelphia harbor, the record-setting ocean liner SS United States was sunk off the coast of northwest Florida on Wednesday to create a massive artificial reef.

The vessel sat in retirement in Philadelphia waters along South Columbus Boulevard, at Pier 82 directly across from the Ikea, for 30 years. In February 2025, it began its journey down to the Gulf of Mexico.

The now rusting liner set the still-standing transatlantic speed record in July 1952.

It's second life will be as the world's largest artificial reef when it's sunk Wednesday afternoon about 20 miles south of Destin, Florida.

A live stream of the sinking, which began around 2 p.m., is below:

Officials say the tremendous cost of maintaining the liner, along with the challenge of finding a home for it to dock, made scrapping it or turning it into an artificial reef as the only two financially viable options.

Florida's Okaloosa County purchased the ship, and hopes it will be a boon for the marine ecosystem while helping with coastal erosion and also drawing in tourism, fishermen, and divers.

"Due to the size and the depth, she will be home to a wide variety of marine life from iconic reef fish such as red snapper to pelagic species of fish like wahoo," county spokespersons said in a statement. "This new artificial reef will provide bountiful fishing and diving opportunities for the local, visiting and charter industries."

While the local tourism industry has touted the sinking as a boon and many marine biologists note the important habitat benefits of reefs, the sinking has not been without controversy.

Activist Erin Brockovitch said the ship should have undergone more extensive environmental testing before it was sunk to ensure that hazardous materials and coatings in its paint were removed and would not leach into the Gulf.

"Clean your ship up before you sink her... or be stupid, do it, harm thousands, and spend hundreds of millions cleaning up your crap for the next twenty years," she said earlier this year.

Okaloosa County is planning a land based museum, housing relics from the ship, somewhere in the Destin or Fort Walton Beach area.