The historic ocean liner SS United States was deliberately sunk off Destin, Florida, on Wednesday to become an artificial reef.
The ship was hollowed out and openings were cut into its hull so it would fill with water and sink upright, according to The Guardian. The process took several hours, with the vessel reaching the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico at about 10pm. The operation used no explosives, BBC reported.
The liner set a transatlantic speed record on its maiden voyage in 1952 and carried passengers across the Atlantic until its retirement in 1969. It later spent nearly 30 years docked in Philadelphia, while attempts to preserve it as a museum were unsuccessful.
Florida’s Okaloosa County bought the ship for $1 million in 2024 with plans to turn it into a reef. A land-based museum about its history is also planned.
