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Exciting news for wreck divers in early 2025 as the SS United States has made its way from Philadelphia to Alabama for overhaul in preparation for scuttling as Florida's newest artificial reef by its new owner, Okaloosa County, Florida. For seasoned Florida wreck divers, how does the SS United States stack up to a Florida wreck dive favorite, the former USS Spiegel Grove (LSD-32)? How about the Vandenberg, or the Oriskinay, or even the RMS Titanic? This article takes a look at the numbers.

 

Nearly Double the Length

Back in 2002 when it was intentionally scuttled, the former USS Spiegel Grove, at 510 feet (155 m), was the largest ships-to-reefs project in the world. Over the next two decades the Spiegel Grove was outsized to #3 in length behind the USS Oriskany (888 feet, 271 m, sunk in Pensacola, 2006) and the USNS General Hoyt S. Vandenberg (522 feet, 159 m, sunk in Key West, 2009) on a global list of artificial ships-to-reefs projects.

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In the context of this discussion, artificial reefing or a ships-to-reefs project is when a ship is intentionally sunk and becomes (1) a diver/tourist destination, and (2) a location to support marine life.

 

Fast forward to today. ​​The SS United States is now moored in Alabama for the process of preparing the ship for sinking, and the enormity of the vessel comes into full focus. The SS United States will become the largest ship ever sunk as part of ships-to-reefs project, beating the current title-holder, the Oriskany, by a hundred feet (33 m). The SS United States is nearly twice the length of the USS Spiegel Grove and even beats out the USS Oriskany and even the ill-fated RMS Titanic (882.8 feet, 269.1 m, sunk in North Atlantic, 1912) in total length.

 

The SS United States current height of 175 feet (53 m)—a number that matches the RMS Titanic—would constitute a technical dive on its own! Of course, some of the superstructure could be removed as part of the extensive and expensive ship reefing process, a procedure that is defined by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) best practices.

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The economic impact of a well-planned artificial reef has been studied. In a 2011 paper that studied local economic effects on the sinking of the Vandenberg, Dr. Vernon R. Leeworthy determined that "[t]he case of the USS Vandenberg supports the idea that decommissioned ships converted to artificial reefs can be successful in promoting economic development and tourism and also yield a net return on investment."

 

This will certainly be the case for the Destin-Fort Walton area and the eventual sinking of the SS United States. The world's fastest ocean liner and the winner of the Blue Riband will bring thousands of tourists and millions of dollars in additional revenue to the area. According to Okaloosa County, the economic benefit of the SS United States over its lifespan is a return on investment of over thirteen thousand percent (13,800%).

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Of course, there are many who oppose the conversion of the SS United States into an artificial reef and would have preferred the vessel be restored to its original grandeur and made into a topside museum, akin to the Queen Mary in Long Beach, California. 

 

Last updated: 24 Apr 2025​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​