SS United States to become largest artificial reef

The largest passenger ship built in the United States will soon have a new life, providing a place for sea life to thrive.

The SS United States is being sunk off the coast of the Florida Panhandle to create the world’s largest artificial reef.

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The ship, which is about 100 feet longer than the RMS Titanic will be sunk by controlled flooding about 20 miles offshore, The Washington Post reported.

No explosives will be used. Instead, the pipes that had supplied seawater to the boiler cooling system will be opened allowing the water to rush in and flood the hull, The Associated Press explained. There are also several large holes cut in the deck and more than 400 portholes have been removed.

When it comes to rest, it will be about 180 feet on the sea floor. The upper deck, however will be only 55 feet below the surface.

The project cost about $13.5 million, according to the AP.

Not only will the ship become a habitat for fish and sea life, officials hope that it will become a destination for diving and fishing, the Post reported.

The ship made its maiden voyage in 1952 and made more than 800 trans-Atlantic crossings, carrying celebrities such as Grace Kelly and Elizabeth Taylor; royals such as former King Edward VIII and future and then-serving presidents such as Bill Clinton and John F. Kennedy, the AP said.

The U.S. Naval Institute said the ship was also a secret troop transport, designed to be used as needed.

Before its new purpose, the ship’s funnels were removed and will be featured in a new museum highlighting the ship’s history.

“It was our goal to make sure that she wasn’t lost forever,” David Lawrence, SS United States Conservancy board member, said.

“She really embodies and expresses this country’s best,” Susan Gibbs, the granddaughter of the ship’s designer, said. “She represents pride and resilience and strength and beauty.”

It was decommissioned in 1969. The ship sat at a pier in Philadelphia from 1996 until recently, the AP said.

There had been plans to turn it into a hotel or casino but that never happened, KYW reported

It was taken to Mobile, Alabama, before it’s final trip to off the Florida coast, the USNI said.