The world's fastest passenger ship SS United States is being sunk as an artificial reef

The legendary passenger ship SS United States, which was retired from service in 1969 with the development of the aviation industry and whose fate has long been debated, is being placed on the ocean floor as an artificial reef off the coast of Florida.

Towed from Mobile, Alabama, by five tugboats, the 300-meter-long ship will be sunk via a controlled flooding method 25 miles off the coast of Destin, Florida. Retaining the title of the world's fastest passenger ship thanks to its transatlantic crossing in 1952, the SS United States will serve diving tourism at a depth of approximately 55 meters following the operation.

Purchased by Okaloosa County for $1 million, the ship has been stripped of its interior furnishings and toxic materials to prevent environmental harm. The sinking operation, to be carried out without explosives, marks the end of years of dreams for the ship to become a museum or a hotel.

Susan Gibbs, the granddaughter of the ship's designer William Francis Gibbs, stated that while the ship will physically be underwater, its history will be kept alive through an upcoming onshore museum and exhibited artifacts. The vessel had secured an important place in maritime history by reaching an average speed of 36 knots during its record-breaking voyage in 1952.