Grace Holland ’25
The SS United States, an iconic landmark of American history, that has been stationed in Philadelphia since 1996, will soon be towed down the Atlantic coast and sunk to become the largest artificial coral reef.
Often referred to as America’s Flagship, the ship has a storied history. Launched in 1952, it became the fastest ocean liner in the world and could carry thousands of troops in addition to serving as a vehicle for luxury travel. The ship carried celebrities and everyday Americans on transatlantic voyages, but it was its ability to carry 14,000 passengers as a naval ship that also made it an asset during the Cold War.
The SS United States Conservancy released an announcement saying “We have reached a tentative agreement with Okaloosa County. Officials plan to sink the ship and create a signature diving attraction that could generate millions of dollars a year in local tourism spending.”
After carrying everyone from sailors to US presidents,the ship was retired in 1969 due to a decrease in ocean travel and in 1996 was docked in Philadelphia’s Delaware River. The ship has remained there since, serving as a landmark of sorts in our city and an incredible view from nearby highways. However, the move to Philadelphia started a downfall of sorts for the ship and its conservation. Preserving a ship built almost a century ago is difficult and expensive. Weather and other conditions caused the ship to decay away and in this process issues with cost began to arise. According to The Philadelphia Inquirer at least $40.7 million has been spent on the ship since it was moved to Philadelphia.
It was due to the storied history of this ship that restoring and saving the SS United States was an important mission, however a lack of funding made that impossible. The SS United States Conservancy fought tirelessly to restore the ocean liner, but the costs amounted to hundreds of millions, and financial campaigns were unsuccessful. Eventually, the Conservancy was forced to come to a quick conclusion, due to a legal dispute over rent which forced the ship to be vacated from the pier. On October 12 The Conservancy announced the new plan for the ship. The 990-foot ocean liner will be sunk in the Gulf of Mexico to become the world’s largest artificial reef. Ishani Khanna,’25 EA Student Alliance for Sustainability President, adds her thoughts on this project saying “I think transforming the SS United States into an artificial reef is an innovative way to repurpose materials. I think this is an incredibly cool project as it not only reuses materials but can benefit coral reefs.”
Photo courtesy of Abandoned America
The decision to make the ocean liner into an artificial reef poses both environmental as well as financial benefits. According to Fox 29 Philadelphia, this project will cost around $10.1 million, offering a more financially friendly option for repurposing the ship. The project will include a land-based museum to honor the legacy and history of the ship. The project not only provides a cost-effective solution but offers significant environmental benefits by creating a thriving ecosystem for marine life.
An artificial coral reef is a man-made structure designed to provide a habitat for marine life and resemble many characteristics of a real reef. Upper School Science Teacher Ron Smith explains how certain parts of the process will actually occur rather quickly, saying, “If done properly and cited properly what the reef does is it creates a surface on which you get an initial colonization of marine life. Most of the initial colonization occurs with things that are cecil, they don’t move around a lot. So once you get sponges and algae and corals that essentially becomes the foundation for the reef system.” This process continues, with more organisms and predators being attracted to the reef, building up the new reef’s ecosystem. Smith explains this long-term process saying, “You get essentially a large solid substrate (the ship) which becomes the attachment site which then initiates essentially a marine succession.”
For the project to be successful and reap all the possible environmental benefits, the preparation and sinking of the ship must be done correctly. The ship and reef can greatly benefit marine life and help the ecosystem to flourish, but if not done properly it could cause damage to the environment. To ensure that the sinking is environmentally friendly, an ideal location must be selected and the ship must be properly prepared. The ship’s initial voyage will be to Alabama to be thoroughly cleaned and have any hazardous parts removed. Smith explains how crucial this process is to the success of the reef, saying, “What has to happen is they have to strip and treat and remove anything that could be potentially hazardous or toxic.”
If successful and cultivated properly, the new attraction hopes to also draw in tourism revenue. The ship would be open to divers interested in seeing this marvelous historical site as well as the surrounding reef. Not only honoring the ocean liner’s history but helping the economy and environment, posing benefits for local businesses as well. Upper School Science Teacher Katalin Colyer elaborates on these benefits saying, “It will also be good for tourism as scuba divers, like myself, will seek opportunities to see the SS United States as a reef. This builds long-term interest and hopefully long-term protection to maintain the habitat.”
Neither the sinking date nor location have been finalized, but the project will be historic in more ways than one, potentially starting a new trend in environmental conservation. Colyer comments on the promise of the project saying, “It’s very exciting! Especially because it is a current event with a local connection, it makes these topics more relatable to us at EA. This is what restoration and conservation can look like in the real world, and it’s a good learning opportunity. It’s also a great chance to build connections with science, history, policy, and economics.”