Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Marine Projects And Reef Deployment topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Okaloosa County tells Walton TDC it bought the SS United States for reef deployment; vessel remediation underway
Summary
Okaloosa County told the Walton County Tourist Development Council that it purchased the historic liner SS United States for $10 million and is remediating the 990-foot ship in Mobile for eventual deployment as an artificial reef.
Jennifer Adams, the tourism director for Okaloosa County, told the Walton County Tourist Development Council that Okaloosa County (working with the SS United States Conservancy) has acquired the historic liner SS United States and is remediating the vessel for deployment as an artificial reef.
Adams said the ship is 990 feet long, larger than the Titanic, and is currently in Mobile undergoing remediation and testing. She said Okaloosa County purchased the vessel for $10,000,000 and has begun environmental testing and artifact salvage. “We have done several tests to monitor lead, to monitor the flooring, to monitor any oil that's in the belly and they're all part of the captain of the port order,” Adams told the council.
Adams said the county has a five‑year plan that envisages deployment after remediation and inspection, and that deployment would be coordinated with fisheries and marine biologists to avoid environmental harm. She told the council the project team expects the vessel to become one of the nation’s largest artificial reefs, and estimated a $3 million to $5 million economic impact from diving, fishing and related water-based activity tied to the wreck once it is deployed.
Why Walton County heard this: Okaloosa County is pursuing regional reef projects and sought to put information before neighboring jurisdictions as part of regional tourism and marine stewardship planning. Adams said the county has seen strong unpaid media exposure for the project (presenters supplied advertising-equivalency and reach figures), and that Okaloosa has worked with the U.S. Coast Guard and other federal entities during remediation.
Council response and next steps: Council members thanked Adams and said they would discuss the item further internally. Adams said the Okaloosa team was working with contractors and marine biologists weekly to monitor remediation progress and to decide when deployment will be environmentally appropriate.
Ending: Adams asked the council to treat the presentation as information only; there was no formal Walton County action associated with the project during the meeting.
