# Famed SS United States deliberately sunk to become reef

> The world's fastest ocean liner, once longer than the Titanic, has been intentionally sunk off Florida to create the world's largest artificial reef.
- Title: Famed SS United States deliberately sunk to become reef
- Summary: The world's fastest ocean liner, once longer than the Titanic, has been intentionally sunk off Florida to create the world's largest artificial reef.
- Keywords: ss united states, artificial reef, destin florida, ocean liner, historic ship, philadelphia, BBC News
- Source: BBC News — https://bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3x298n87rn2o
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: ss united states, artificial reef, destin florida, ocean liner, historic ship, philadelphia, news, world
## Historic liner sunk off Florida
The SS United States, once the world's fastest ship and longer than the Titanic, has been deliberately sunk off the coast of Destin, Florida to become the world's largest artificial ocean reef.
## A ship that carried presidents
The SS United States operated between the US and Europe from 1952 to 1969, carrying royalty and celebrities including Bill Clinton, Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower and John Kennedy across the Atlantic Ocean hundreds of times.
## Museum plans failed, activists lost
Activists and the SS United States Conservancy repeatedly fought to preserve the ship as a museum or floating hotel, but all proposals failed.
## Story lives on through reef
The ship was moved from Philadelphia to Alabama last year for cleaning, then taken to Florida on Monday for sinking on Wednesday in a precision operation without explosives.A land-based museum will detail the ship's history.

> [The ship] has always been this unabashedly American symbol that brings so many people together
## Key takeaway

The SS United States, a historic liner that carried presidents and celebrities from 1952 to 1969, was deliberately sunk off Destin, Florida on Wednesday to become the world's largest artificial ocean reef.