The historic SS United States, once the fastest ocean liner in the world, is scheduled to leave Mobile, Alabama, on Monday for its final voyage before being intentionally sunk off Florida’s Gulf Coast later this week.
The 990-foot vessel is scheduled to become the world’s largest artificial reef when it is scuttled on Thursday, about 22 nautical miles southwest of Destin-Fort Walton Beach, according to Okaloosa County officials. Deployment operations are expected to begin at 10 a.m. local time, weather permitting.
The U.S. Coast Guard has established a temporary 100-yard moving safety zone around the vessel and its towing vessels for the transit out of Mobile Bay. The tow is expected to reach the offshore deployment site Tuesday, ahead of Thursday’s planned sinking…