SS United States Becomes The World’s Largest Artificial Reef After Sinking Off Florida

Ocean liner SS United States was sunk in the Gulf off Florida on November 11, 2026, turning the 990-foot record-holding ship into the world’s largest artificial reef.

The vessel sank beneath the surface at around 9 p.m. local time at the reef site, which is about 22 nautical miles to the southwest of Destin-Fort Walton Beach. Okaloosa County officials had brought the sinking forward by one day over concerns about bad weather, which put the operation on Veterans Day.

Crews started flooding the SS United States in the afternoon. Organisers had predicted that the sinking could be over in as little as an hour. The liner stayed afloat for around five hours before she leaned onto one side and quickly disappeared below the water.

A county spokesperson said that the descent was slower than expected partly because crews filled 128 fuel and lubricant tanks with water so that the ship would rest evenly on the seabed. The president of Coleen Marine, the company hired for the sinking, said before the vessel disappeared that the liner would not go down without a fight.

This story was originally published by Marine Insight. Read the full story at Marine Insight →