Historic SS United States sinks off Florida's coast

Seventy-four years after her maiden voyage, the stately SS United States was sunk near Destin-Fort Walton Beach on Florida's Gulf Coast. Crews began flooding the ship with seawater Wednesday afternoon to begin the slow process of transforming what was once a stately ocean liner into the world's largest artificial reef, a new destination for divers. The ship went underwater around 10 p.m. According to the Associated Press, citing county spokesperson Nick Tomecek, federal environmental and explosive rules prevented the use of explosives to sink the ship. Over the past several weeks, workers cut several holes in the ship's deck and removed more than 400 portholes to allow water to enter. The SS United States will eventually sit at a depth of about 60 feet below the surface. The historic ocean liner spent almost three decades docked on the Delaware River in Philadelphia and, for a time, was mired in legal battles . Plans to turn the ship into a hotel or even a casino never materialized. And so the SS United States, which still holds an unbeaten record for the fastest transatlantic crossing, sat still. Okaloosa County, Florida, purchased the ship for $10 million to add to its dozens of artificial reefs. The county is also planning a land-based museum documenting the ship's history, which will eventually include the bar from its smoking lounge. Last year, tugboats pulled the ocean liner down the Delaware River — at low tide, for maximum clearance under the Walt Whitman Bridge — and into the Atlantic on a two-week journey down to a shipyard in Mobile, Alabama , for cleaning and remediation work. Jon Polk with Deep Charters of Destin fished near the SS United States Wednesday morning. "Fishermen are excited about it, divers are excited about it ... There's been a lot of excitement locally. It's been in the news nonstop for really two years," Polk said. When the ship departed Philadelphia , many onlookers were sad to see it leave its post near Ikea, but Polk said he sees this as a way to keep celebrating the ocean liner. "I know there's a lot of people upset with them sinking this boat, but I think it's a great way to honor it too," Polk said. Because it's going to be in the forefront here for a long time. It's not like it's going to sink and be forgotten about." The SS United States Conservancy plans to build a museum along the coast at the ship's final resting place. The sinking date was initially planned for Nov. 12 , but was moved up one day due to concerns about inclement weather. Find out more about the SS United States' deployment on TheSSUS.com . In: Pennsylvania Florida Philadelphia Featured Local Savings