Miami (AFP) – A majestic and all-but-indestructible 20th century ocean liner that once ferried royal leaders, movie stars and even the "Mona Lisa" to the United States was being deliberately sunk Wednesday to become the world's largest artificial reef.

Issued on: 11/11/2026 - 23:05

Experts were conducting a controlled flooded sink of the 990-foot (302-meter) vessel, a veteran of more than 800 transatlantic crossings in the 1950s and 60s, that is set to send it to its final resting place on the Gulf of Mexico's sandy floor, some 25 miles (40 kilometers) southwest of Destin-Fort Walton Beach, Florida.

"Two of the valves have been opened. The deployment process has started," said an official on the livestream operated by the city.

Florida's Okaloosa County, gambling that such a huge new reef would be a local tourism boom and attract dive and fishing enthusiasts, bought the long-decommissioned SS United States from a conservancy group for $1 million in 2024.

The vessel -- longer than the Titanic and the transatlantic speed record holder -- will become the centerpiece of Okaloosa's undersea garden of sunken ships, including World War II vessels, tugboats, and even a casino boat.

Captain Tim Mullane of Alabama-based maritime company Coleen Marine which led the repurposing, has described it as "a great honor to put this fine vessel to rest... where it's going to serve a second life" promoting marine fauna, diving and fishing.

A year-long process of cleaning the vessel, removing all toxins like fuel, paint and wiring, towing, environmental remediation, safety assurances, and eventual sinking cost roughly $13.5 million.

The SS United States, the result of a celebrated feat of mid-century American engineering, made its maiden voyage in 1952.

In its heyday, the luxury liner carried countless celebrities including president John F Kennedy, Former King Edward VIII, Grace Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor and Salvador Dali. Future president Bill Clinton traveled on board on his way to study at Oxford.

Perhaps its most famous passenger was Leonardo de Vinci's "Mona Lisa," the 16th century painting that visited America in 1963.

Within two decades of being built, the liner was out of service, falling victim to the growing popularity of air travel. It remained docked in Philadelphia for 29 years.

While the ship will rest at a depth of 180 feet, its top decks will be just about 55 feet below the water's surface, reachable for beginner divers.

Until now, the largest artificial reef was an aircraft carrier sunk 20 years ago off the coast of Pensacola, also in Florida.

Repurposing the SS United States keeps its heritage alive, said Okaloosa County tourism director Jennifer Adams Kemp.

"She's our country's flagship," she told CNN shortly before the sinking. "Why wouldn't we want to preserve that?"

© 2026 AFP

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