Marilyn Monroe sailed on this ocean liner. Now it's being sunk to create the world's largest underwater reef
'William Francis Gibbs said you can't burn her, you can't catch her, and you can't sink her,' Bill Magee said
Even the grandest ships eventually reach the end of their journey. Around 10 p.m. on November 11, the SS United States, the ship that once transported Marilyn Monroe across the ocean, was sunk 22 miles off the coast of Destin, Florida, and is now set to begin its new journey. Once the fastest ocean liner in the world, it is now one of the largest artificial reefs on the planet. FOX 29 Philadelphia shared a livestream of the SS United States sinking.
Famous passengers
The 990-foot-long vessel embarked on its maiden voyage in 1952 and sailed the seas for 17 years before retiring in 1969. It made more than 800 transatlantic trips and carried several famous passengers on the way. Apart from Marilyn Monroe, this included Hollywood stars such as Elizabeth Taylor and Grace Kelly. Even former presidents, such as President Harry Truman, President Dwight Eisenhower, President John F. Kennedy, and even a young Bill Clinton who was on his way to Oxford University in 1968, WTOP News reported.
A few other famous individuals who boarded the SS United States were Walt Disney, Coco Chanel, Marlon Brando, and Salvador Dalí. In 1963, the ship even carried the famous "Mona Lisa" painting across the Atlantic Ocean, revealed Oceanographic Magazine.
Almost unsinkable
Sadly, after the SS United States retired, it had been sitting on Pier 82 in Philadelphia for more than three decades. For years, several owners tried to refurbish and maintain the once-luxurious ocean liner, but the costs were getting too expensive. In 2021, the port authorities charged $1,700 a day for docking, and the non-profit SS United States Conservancy could not afford it anymore, The Guardian reported. Three years later, Florida's Okaloosa County bought the ship for $1 million to turn it into one of the world's largest artificial reefs. $13.5 million had been invested in the project, and finally, on Veterans' Day, the ship was sunk into the sea after seven hours of waiting.
Nick Tomecek, a spokesperson for Okaloosa County, told ABC7 NY, "She was designed to be unsinkable, and that fact has definitely given our crews some challenges today." Bill Magee, a fan of the SS United States, who travelled all the way from South New Jersey, said, "William Francis Gibbs said you can't burn her, you can't catch her, and you can't sink her, and I guess we found that out today, didn't we?" Coleen O’Malley, the president of Coleen Marine, the company that sank the ship, told WTOP News, "She is an amazing lady who will not lay down without a fight. Much like the amazing nation she was named after."
Positively impacting oceans
Saying goodbye to a piece of history is never easy, but the SS United States is set to make a lasting contribution to marine life. A 2024 study by Avery B. Paxton, published in Nature Sustainability, found that artificial reefs helped to restore degraded underwater habitats and marine life. The study showed that there was approximately a 1,980% increase in the artificial reef footprint between 1970 and 2020. Experts have not predicted how much impact the SS United States vessel will have on the coast and waters of Destin, but they plan to use it as a case study. Another study by Paxton found that artificial reefs supported a huge amount of fish density, species richness, and offered diversity to natural reefs.
A well-built ship
Viewers stayed up late watching the SS United States go underwater. The comment section was filled with praise and awe for the ocean liner. @iosota wrote, "I've been watching this all day, that made me cry at the end, seeing her go under the water. At least she will have a new life and purpose." @hoffman56 wrote a poetic goodbye, "To the SS United States, queen of the Atlantic. May your record endure, your story be told, and your decks, now visited by fish instead of passengers, remain a place of wonder for generations to come. Fair winds and following seas, old girl."
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