Answers to Frequently Asked Questions

WHAT IS THE SS UNITED STATES?

The SS United States is an historic ocean liner, widely known as “America’s Flagship.” She is the fastest passenger ship ever built and the largest ever made in the USA. The SS United States still holds the transatlantic speed record and is the last of America's great 20th century ocean liners. Since the vessel’s launch over 70 years ago, she has served as an enduring iconic symbol of American innovation and engineering might. She is the only ship to bear the name of her namesake nation.

WHY IS THE SS UNITED STATES SO IMPORTANT?

Like the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, and the Washington Monument — there’s only one SS United States. The ship was an ambassador of America’s post-war industrial power and a technological marvel. The soaring symbol of grace and grandeur touched the lives of over one million passengers, thousands of crew members, and countless others who were thrilled by her mere presence in New York or Europe flying the Stars and Stripes. The vessel still holds the transatlantic speed record, achieved on her maiden voyage using only two-thirds of her power. She served as a Naval auxiliary ship and was packed with top-secret features.

HOW DOES THE SS UNITED STATES COMPARE TO THE RMS TITANIC?

At nearly 1,000 feet long, the SS United States is more than a hundred feet longer than the ill-fated RMS Titanic, and she has five more decks. The SS United States is so large that if you stood her on end, she’d be nearly as tall as New York City’s Chrysler Building or the Comcast Center in Philadelphia. As the fastest ocean liner ever constructed, the SS United States could move almost faster in reverse than the RMS Titanic could travel forward.

HOW FAST WAS THE SS UNITED STATES?

The SS United States’ propellers, fireproof and lightweight materials, double hull, and sleek overall design were part of a top secret Pentagon program to create the world’s fastest and safest ship. The SS United States still holds the transatlantic speed record or “Blue Riband.” Her true performance figures were kept secret for many years, but we know now that on her sea trials she achieved an amazing speed of over 38 knots — about 44 miles per hour. Some maritime historians and former crew members maintain that she could have traveled even faster, so her true top speed may never be known. By comparison, today’s modern cruise ships travel at around 28 miles per hour. The SS United States smashed the transatlantic speed record on her maiden voyage in 1952 using only two-thirds of her power.

WHO BUILT THE SS UNITED STATES AND WHY?

For much of the 19th and 20th centuries, passenger travel across the Atlantic Ocean was dominated by a handful of European merchant shipping lines that competed for the honor of owning the biggest, fastest, and most luxurious ocean liner. The RMS Queen Mary and SS Normandie are two examples of famous liners that transported travelers between New York and the ports of Europe in comfort and style. After World War II, it was America’s turn to demonstrate its ability to compete and dominate the seas. This era brought with it new American prosperity and ingenuity as well as new security threats. The U.S. Government worked in conjunction with United States Lines to develop a “super ship” to be part Cold War weapon and part luxury ocean liner. The top-secret Pentagon project produced the fastest, safest, and most advanced vessel ever constructed — the SS United States. The ship could be quickly converted into a troop carrier able to transport 14,000 military service members for 10,000 miles without refueling, and she could do it faster than any other ship before or since.

WHO DESIGNED THE SS UNITED STATES?

The SS United States was designed by self-taught naval architect and marine engineer William Francis Gibbs. Born in 1886, Gibbs realized a life-long dream of designing the fastest ship in the world after the SS United States concluded her record-breaking maiden voyage in 1952. His firm designed over 60 percent of all the nation’s heavy armored ships in World War II, some 5,000 vessels in total. Widely regarded as one of the nation’s foremost naval architects, he was deeply attached to his prized creation. Gibbs called the SS United States every day when she was at sea and rarely missed being on hand for the vessel’s docking at her pier in New York. Gibbs’s granddaughter, Susan Gibbs, serves as the SS United States Conservancy’s president.

DID ANY FAMOUS PASSENGERS TRAVEL ON THE SS UNITED STATES?

The SS United States was the ship on which to sail in the 1950s and 1960s, and she carried a very impressive complement of notable passengers on nearly every voyage. These luminaries included Marlon Brando, Coco Chanel, Sean Connery, Gary Cooper, Walter Cronkite, Salvador Dali, Walt Disney, Duke Ellington, Judy Garland, Cary Grant, Charlton Heston, Bob Hope, Marilyn Monroe, Prince Rainier and Grace Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor, John Wayne, and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. The ship also carried four US presidents — Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Clinton.

WHERE IS THE SS UNITED STATES LOCATED NOW?

The SS United States arrived in Philadelphia in 1996, transported there by a previous owner who had hoped to return her to service as a seagoing cruise ship. After being docked at Pier 82 for almost 30 years, the ship was relocated in late February 2025 to Mobile, Alabama by her new owner (as of October 2024), Okaloosa County, Florida. After environmental remediation the ship will be towed off the coast of Destin/Fort Walton Beach, FL, where she will be submerged in the Gulf waters as the world’s largest artificial reef.

CAN I VISIT THE SHIP?

As Okaloosa County advances on the environmental remediation work aboard the SS United States, access to the vessel is highly restricted at her current location in Mobile, Alabama. Some 200 workers will be operating in close quarters, making it unsafe for the general public.

The ship can be viewed, however, from nearby her berth on the western bank of the Mobile River. She is clearly visible from the eastern end of Charleston Street. Exercise extreme caution, however, as this is a heavily trafficked industrial area. Do not approach the railroad tracks between Charleston Street and the ship and respond promptly to any instructions given by security officials in the vicinity.

ARE THE SS UNITED STATES’ INTERIORS STILL INTACT?

No. Unfortunately, the SS United States’ fittings were all dismantled in the 1980s and 1990s by previous owners of the vessel for financial gain and to remove building materials popular in the 1950s that were later deemed hazardous. While the Conservancy has collected many of the ship’s original fittings and artwork, other items remain in private collections. As plans for the vessel’s redevelopment as the world’s largest artificial reef continue to advance, the Conservancy is committed to creating an extraordinary land-based interactive, dynamic, museum and visitor experience that will explore and celebrate the SS United States and mid-century design, art and innovation. Our future museum will also showcase the Conservancy’s permanent collection of SS United States artifacts, historical documents, artwork and fixtures as well as our vintage film and photography archives. Beyond the items in our current collection, the Conservancy continues to catalogue the location and ownership of the remaining fittings from the vessel including furniture, artwork, dishware, and other fixtures.

IS THE SS UNITED STATES STILL STRUCTURALLY SOUND?

As a singular engineering achievement designed and built for speed, safety and national security use, the SS United States still retains more than 90 percent of its hull integrity. The ship’s hull was designed similar to battleship specifications and was built to stand the test of time, surpassing today’s cruise ships. The vessel has undergone several structural reviews over the years by top-flight engineering and architectural firms and is in remarkable condition for its age. She has not been “rusting away” and was assessed by the US Coast Guard as structurally sound before embarking on her more than 1,800-mile tow from Philadelphia to Mobile.

HOW DO I RESEARCH WHETHER ONE OF MY ANCESTORS TRAVELED ON THE SS UNITED STATES?

Over one million passengers traveled on the SS United States, and passenger lists from each voyage were maintained by United States Lines. These documents were scattered after the ship was withdrawn from service, but the Conservancy is currently compiling and digitizing these records for future use, including genealogical research.

WHAT IS THE SS UNITED STATES CONSERVANCY?

A national nonprofit organization, the SS United States Conservancy leads the global effort to celebrate and commemorate America’s flagship, the SS United States. Through its curatorial collections and educational programs, the Conservancy works to ensure that the fastest ocean liner ever to cross the Atlantic Ocean remains an inspiration for generations to come.

 The Conservancy is committed to creating an extraordinary land-based interactive, dynamic, museum and visitor experience that will explore the history of the SS United States and broader themes of mid-century design, art and innovation.

HOW CAN I HELP COMMEMORATE THE SS UNITED STATES?

If you would like to become a member of the SS United States Conservancy or support our plans for a new museum and visitor experience, please visit www.ssusc.org/donate.

HOW DO MY CONTRIBUTIONS HELP?

By becoming a member of the SS United States Conservancy, your donations will help us expand our curatorial collection and plan a future museum that celebrates the legacy of America’s Flagship. Donations to the Conservancy also support our educational and outreach programs about the SS United States’ history, and help us launch exciting digital and traveling exhibitions and displays honoring and exploring the SS United States.

DOES THE CONSERVANCY HAVE A MUSEUM THAT IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC?

The Conservancy’s collections are not currently on display for public viewing. However, the SS United States Conservancy has begun planning and preparations for a future museum and visitor center that would feature one-of-a-kind artwork and artifacts from the vessel, interpretive displays, and augmented and virtual reality experience to allow visitors from around the world the ability to experience and appreciate the ship’s extraordinary history. The Conservancy continues to expand its permanent collection of SS United States artifacts, historical documents, artwork, and ship fixtures. For more information, click here.

DOES THE CONSERVANCY OFFER EDUCATIONAL AND CURATORIAL PROGRAMS?

The SS United States Conservancy remains deeply committed to honoring the legacy of the SS United States through curatorial and educational programs. Since its founding, the Conservancy has developed and mounted major temporary exhibitions at the Forbes Galleries in New York City and the Independence Seaport Museum in Philadelphia. The Conservancy has also partnered with the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, to develop an exhibition featuring the SS United States artwork of renowned author-illustrator David Macaulay. We have also advised and supported displays at other institutions such as the Smithsonian Institution’s Museum of American History and the Peabody Essex Museum. We also produce regular digital exhibitions that explore the ship's cultural and historical significance. Recent exhibitions include “Advertising the United States: Discovering America's Flagship Through Prints, Posters and Advertisements”; and “Transatlantic Trailblazers: The Women Behind the Art and Engineering of the SS United States,” and “Food Tastes Better at Sea: Dining Aboard the SS United States.”

The Conservancy also maintains the world’s largest collection of SS United States documents, images, artifacts, and other historical materials. Prior to the ship’s deployment as the “World’s Largest Underwater Reef,” the Conservancy conducted an exhaustive preservation inventory of the ship’s fixtures and shipboard components and secured many historical elements for future display.

WHAT IS THE SS UNITED STATES MUSEUM AND VISITOR EXPERIENCE?

In tandem with the SS United States’ redeployment as an artificial reef, the Conservancy is planning an exciting land-based museum and innovation center as well as the recreation of some of the ship’s most iconic, historically significant features and spaces.

Both of the towering funnels from the legendary SS United States have been removed and saved for a dramatic centerpiece of the future SS United States Museum and Visitor Experience alongside a massive, five-bladed propeller and revolutionary radar mast.

The Conservancy’s future SS United States Museum and Visitor Experience will explore the SS United States’ emergence as an iconic American achievement and examine broader themes of 20th century post-war society, maritime history, science and technology, and mid-century modern art and design. The Conservancy continues to expand its permanent collection of SS United States artifacts, historical documents, artwork, and ship fixtures.

Thinc Design, one of the world’s premier museum and exhibit design firms, in partnership with LMN Architects and engineering firm Buro Happold, have conceptualized the museum and visitor experience.

For a “sneak peak,” visit here.

In 2011 the SS United States Conservancy and Penn Warehousing executed a “Berthing Services Agreement” for docking the SS United States at Pier 82 in South Philadelphia. Drafted by Penn Warehousing, the agreement had no end date or provisions for rent escalation. In 2021, without warning and outside the terms of the agreement, Penn Warehousing doubled the monthly rent it was charging the Conservancy. The Conservancy continued paying the mutually agreed-upon rent amount. In 2022, Penn Warehousing sued the Conservancy to attempt to collect the arbitrarily increased rent and evict the ship from her berth.

Following a bench trial in US District Court in Philadelphia in early 2024, the judge issued a verdict on June 14, 2024. The Court found the Conservancy was not liable for the arbitrarily increased rent, stating, “[Penn Warehousing’s] unilateral demand for increased dockage fees beginning in August 2021, with 14 days’ notice, finds no support in the Berthing Agreement or contract law. The Conservancy never agreed to pay more than the rate specified in the 2011 written agreement. There is no basis to order the Conservancy to pay more than it bargained for. The Conservancy’s failure to pay at the daily rate of $1,700 does not amount to a breach of the Berthing Agreement or entitle PWD to any damages.”

The order continued, “Pennsylvania state courts have recognized the ‘general rule’ that ‘when a contract provides that one party shall render service to another … but does not specify a definite time or prescribe conditions which determine the duration of the relation, the contract may be terminated by either party at will.’” Consequently, the Court deemed the Berthing Agreement terminated as of September 12, 2024 and ordered the ship to be removed from her pier by that date.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THE SS UNITED STATES CONSERVANCY’S CURATORIAL COLLECTION AND PLANNED MUSEUM?

The Conservancy has acquired an extensive collection of artwork and artifacts from the SS United States that heralds the extraordinary and innovative craftsmanship that made the United States a singular achievement. We are continually expanding this collection of art, artifacts, and archival documentation. Portions of the collection will likely be featured in the Conservancy’s future SS United States Museum and Visitor Experience, which will explore the SS United States’ emergence as an iconic American achievement and examine broader themes of 20th century post-war society, maritime history, science and technology, and mid-century modern art and design.

DID THE CONSERVANCY EXPLORE ALTERNATIVE TEMPORARY BERTHS FOR THE SS UNITED STATES?

The SS United States Conservancy’s Board of Directors conducted an extensive search, assisted by Advisory Board members and other maritime experts to determine a pier that was suitable and available for the SS United States.  Beginning well before the court's ruling, the Conservancy was actively engaging in outreach to both public and private entities in an urgent search for a new temporary or permanent location for the SS United States. Because the ship is the largest passenger vessel built in her namesake nation at nearly 1000 feet long and a present draft of up to 28 feet, the number of piers large enough to accommodate her was extremely limited. Nor was it possible to temporarily moor her at sea because she is lacking key equipment, and such a plan would not be permitted by the Coast Guard. 

After months of outreach to the highest levels, the U.S. Navy responded definitively that it had no available piers due to an extreme shortage for existing vessels, made worse by deteriorating facilities that reduce the number even further. CLICK HERE to see a summary of all the cities where the Conservancy has conducted outreach listed in alphabetical order.

WHAT CAN PEOPLE DO TO HELP?

We encourage you to become a member of the SS United States Conservancy. As a national nonprofit organization, your donation is tax-deductible as allowed by law. By supporting our preservation and educational efforts, you will join thousands of fellow supporters worldwide to honor the legacy of America’s Flagship. Donations in support of our future museum that will celebrate and commemorate the SS United States are welcome — please click here.

WHAT IS THE CONSERVANCY'S VISION FOR THE FUTURE?

While the Conservancy's first priority has long been keeping the ship safely afloat with the ultimate goal of seeing the SS United States brought to life as a stationary, mixed-use destination in a major port, a challenging Court-imposed deadline evicting the ship from her Philadelphia pier compelled us to suspend our efforts to advance the vessel’s adaptive reuse as stationary mixed-use development. On October 24, 2024, we partnered with Florida’s Okaloosa County to convert the ship as the world’s largest artificial underwater reef as an alternative to scrapping. We are confident that the experienced and committed team in Okaloosa County fully appreciates the historic significance of the SS United States and our longstanding commitment to educating future generations about this unique expression of American technological innovation.

WHY DID THE SS UNITED STATES CONSERVANCY PARTNER WITH FLORIDA’S OKALOOSA COUNTY TO CONVERT AMERICA’S FLAGSHIP INTO THE WORLD’S LARGEST ARTIFICIAL REEF?

The legal conflict with the operators of Pier 82 in Philadelphia drastically impacted the Conservancy’s plans for the ship’s long-term future. Because of the court ruling, we had a very limited time to find a new home for the SS United States. Despite intensive outreach to private pier owners, government agencies, elected officials, and public authorities at the local, state and federal levels — an effort long underway — no suitable and available location was secured within the mandated schedule. While we had vetted various entities with proposals to purchase and relocate the ship, none satisfied our minimum due diligence or proved viable within the compressed timetable and logistical constraints.

Unable to save the SS United States in her current state and under a court-ordered deadline, we faced the painful but unavoidable choice between scrapping America’s Flagship or converting her into an artificial reef in tandem with a land-based museum. We chose the latter as the more dignified path. As part of the settlement that resulted from court-ordered mediation, the SS United States Conservancy agreed to the sale of America’s Flagship to Okaloosa County, Florida, which in turn facilitated her removal from the pier to comply with the Court’s order. While this is not the outcome we originally envisioned, the ship will have a future. This next chapter of the SS United States’ story will bring tens of thousands of people annually from around the world to experience her as an artificial reef and celebrated and she will be commemorated in a land-based museum.

WHAT IS THE STATUS OF THE PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN FLORIDA’S OKALOOSA COUNTYAND THE SS UNITED STATES CONSERVANCY?

On October 1, 2024, the Okaloosa County Board of County Commissioners approved a contract to acquire the SS United States that would see the historic ocean liner converted into the world’s largest artificial reef.  The deal stipulated that the Conservancy will be compensated for the vessel, as well as receive a seed grant to help construct an innovative land-based museum and immersive experience that would allow visitors from around the world to explore the legacy of America’s Flagship.

On Saturday, October 12, 2024, leadership from the SS United States Conservancy's Board of Directors and officials from Okaloosa County, Florida, joined by members of the Conservancy's preservation team, gathered aboard the historic ocean liner to inaugurate a new era for America's Flagship with a contract signing ceremony.

THE SS UNITED STATES DEPARTURE FROM PHILADELPHIA

On February 19, 2025, Okaloosa County contractors towed the SS United States out from Philadelphia’s Pier 80 and down the Delaware River, beginning her voyage to Mobile, Alabama for remediation before reefing. The more than 1,800-mile tow was completed in an unexpectedly short period of only 12 days. Thousands of onlookers viewed her historic passage from the shore, capturing extraordinary images and sharing them on social media. Near Pompano Beach, Florida, lucky passengers aboard Royal Caribbean’s Utopia of the Seas enjoyed a close-up view of the SS United States when their captain pulled alongside, announced to his passengers the historical significance of what they were observing, and sounded the ship’s horn three times in an honorary salute to The Big U.

WHAT ARE THE ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS OF ARTIFICIAL REEFS?

Once deployed off Destin-Fort Walton Beach, at nearly 1,000-feet long, the SS United States will become the world’s largest artificial reef and a home for a diverse range of marine life and attract divers and anglers from around the world. The purchase of the SS United States will continue the growth of Destin-Fort Walton Beach’s robust artificial reef program, the most active, and one of the largest vessel artificial reef collections in the United States.

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, for every dollar spent on artificial reefs in the Florida Panhandle, the conservative overall economic benefit of the artificial reef system over its life span is $138, a 13,800% return on investment. This includes job creation in the construction and maintenance of reefs and increased economic activity in related sectors such as retail.

WHEN AND WHERE WILL THE SS UNITED STATES BE REEFED?

Okaloosa County contractors intend to tow the SS United States from her remediation site in Mobile, Alabama to a point approximately 20 nautical miles south of Destin/Fort Walton Beach (on the Florida panhandle coast) around the second week of November 2026. She will likely ride at anchor for two days in the Gulf during final preparations for deployment.  Through strategically placed openings in the hull, and using no explosives, the ship will undergo controlled flooding intended to sink her gently and ensure she comes to rest in an upright position on the Gulf floor. 

With her funnels removed, the superstructure of the SS United States will be at a depth accessible to pleasure divers, who are not certified for the lower depths reachable by “technical” divers. Okaloosa County’s contractors have done extensive preparation of the ship for diving, including sealing off compartments and lower deck areas deemed unsafe for even experienced divers.  

IS THERE A WAY FOR ME TO WATCH THE REEFING?

The deployment operations will require a wide security perimeter around the ship that the US Coast Guard and other authorities will maintain, so there will be no close-up vantage points. Private charters and other boats will advertise tours outside the security perimeter. 

The entire process will be live streamed, however, and details will be made public ahead of the deployment date. There are other media and specialized gatherings in and around Destin/Fort Walton Beach that also will take place during the week of deployment.