The SS United States, the historic ocean liner that spent nearly three decades docked in the Delaware River, reached Alabama on Monday morning to begin final preparations for its sinking. The ship, considered a titan of its time, spent about two weeks being towed 1,800 miles south around the tip of Florida.

The historic, aging ocean liner that a Florida county plans to turn into the world’s largest artificial reef has completed the first leg of its final voyage. The SS United States, a 1,000-foot (305-meter) vessel that shattered the trans-Atlantic speed record on its maiden voyage in 1952,

The SS United States is towed to Alabama and draws onlookers to the East End of Dauphin Island on Monday, March 3, 2025. The historic ocean-liner is being towed to Mobile where it will be prepared for submersion as the world's largest artificial reef off the Florida Gulf Coast near Destin-Fort Walton. John Sharp