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Okaloosa County staff say SS United States will be remediated in Mobile for artificial-reef deployment off Destin
Summary
A staff member told county leaders that the SS United States has arrived in Mobile for remediation and preparation to become an artificial reef off Destin, funded with $10,100,000 in Okaloosa County tourism development tax dollars; contractor Colleen Marine will perform remediation and a controlled sinking is planned within about a year.
A staff member for Okaloosa County said the ocean liner SS United States has completed its tow to Mobile, Ala., and will undergo remediation and preparation there before being deployed as an artificial reef off Destin in under a year.
"Today is a big day for Destin, Fort Walton Beach, and Okaloosa County," the staff member said, adding that the tow arrived about two days ahead of schedule and that cleanup work will begin in Mobile.
The staff member said the county has budgeted $10,100,000 in tourism development tax revenue—taxes collected from hotel stays in Okaloosa County—for the project. "These are dollars that are collected from hotel night stays in Okaloosa County... and those monies can only be spent on tourism-related projects," the staff member said.
The speaker described the scope of remediation: removing all fuels from about 20 fuel tanks, cleaning those tanks, stripping wiring, and removing all nonmetal materials before the ship can be deployed. The ship is intended to rest in about 80 feet of water with its top decks at roughly 55 feet, the staff member said, which would make the wreck accessible to novice and technical divers and create fish habitat that would also attract recreational anglers.
A land-based museum is planned in partnership with the S.S. United States Conservancy to display artifacts and exhibits about the ship and its future as an underwater ecosystem, the staff member said. Colleen Marine was identified as the contractor responsible for remediation and deployment preparations.
The staff member described the planned sinking as a controlled process without explosives: crews will cut holes in the hull to allow water and air to move, open valves and through-hulls, and use pumps to take on water so the vessel settles to the seafloor. The speaker said the deployment itself is expected to be a one-day operation.
The presentation compared anticipated economic benefits to Pensacola’s USS Oriskany artificial reef, which the staff member said generates an estimated $3,000,000 in direct annual economic impact to that destination. The staff member said officials expect equal or greater economic benefit in Okaloosa County in 2025 projections.
The staff member credited the Board of County Commissioners and the Tourism Development Council for supporting the project, and said remediation work in Mobile will begin immediately ahead of the planned deployment date.
