SS United States Debacle: Legendary Ocean Liner Takes 7 Hours To Sink Off Florida And Doesn’t Go Down As Planned

In its heyday the SS United States was one of the finest ocean liners ever constructed. It holds the titles of being the largest ocean liner constructed entirely in the United States and having crossed the Atlantic Ocean faster than any ocean liner in history during the ship’s native voyage.

On November 11th, the SS United States was sunk off Destin, Florida and the ship’s retirement to the bottom of the sea where it will serve as an artificial reef did not go as planned, taking hours longer than expected and not sinking as intended.

How the Sinking of the SS United States In Florida Went Wrong

The plan to sink the SS United States has been in the works for years. In 2024, Okaloosa County in Florida where Destin is located announced an initiative to purchase the ocean liner for $1 million and sink it off Destin-Fort Walton Beach to create an artificial reef for both recreational SCUBA diving and fishing.

This part of Florida’s panhandle is a fisherman’s paradise where fishermen have a shot at catching any number of species. Those same species would (and will) flock to the SS United States as structure on the bottom of the ocean where it will serve as protection from predators for many species.

This is all great for the region! It will boost the local biodiversity and bring in tourism dollars to the local economy from recreational divers and anglers. Great things. But then came thing sinking…

The sinking of the SS United States was in the works for years. Due to the nature of the sinking, no explosives could be used. So they had to drill holes throughout the boat and sink it slowly. The plan was always to have the ship sink right-side up so it landed on the ocean floor hull down, and local news had set up live streams to film it all.

Sinking of the SS United States was only estimated to last between 45 minutes and 3 hours. 10-foot holes were bored throughout the ocean liner’s deck making it easier to sink. 400 port holes were removed to expedite the water flooding the ship. And everything began during late lunch time on Tuesday November 11th, around 1:40 pm.

That would mean the ship would be sunk by around 2:25 pm and 3:40 PM. Alas, the ship did not go down for seven and a half long hours and then it went underwater on its side. Though sonar reports later discovered the ship did land on its hull as intended. Things were taking so long with the ship sinking that someone on one of the countless boats surrounding the area started making finger puppets on the hull:

Someone was doing finger puppets on the SS United States while it was sinking just now 🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/jsiyUH3tVV

— JK Adams (@jkadamsphoto) November 12, 2026

Meanwhile, this video shows the moments the ship finally sank. It was all devised for the ship to plummet straight down. Hundreds of minor preparations were made, holes drilled, windows cleared out. But in the end the ship had other plans:

This will now become a Gulf Coast mecca for SCUBA divers.