Historic SS United States Sinks to Become Florida Reef

WHO:

BBC News - Divers explored the sunken US ship.

ABC News - The SS United States is an ocean liner described as larger than the Titanic.

Newser - Shipwreck diver Rustin Cassway was among the first divers to explore the site.

Newser - The Research Vessel Explorer, operating out of Cape May, New Jersey, provided fresh video of the ship.

WHAT:

BBC News - The ship was intentionally sunk to create the world’s largest artificial ocean reef.

ABC News - The SS United States was sunk to create the world’s largest artificial reef.

Newser - The 990-foot SS United States sits upright on the seafloor.

Newser - Video captured the ship’s interior.

Newser - Cassway described the preparation as “very well executed.”

WHERE:

BBC News - The ship was sunk off the coast of Florida.

ABC News - The ship sank off the Florida coast.

Newser - The liner lies 180 feet down in the Gulf of Mexico, about 25 miles southwest of Destin, Florida.

Newser - The Research Vessel Explorer is out of Cape May, New Jersey.

WHY:

BBC News - The ship was sunk to create an artificial ocean reef.

ABC News - The ship was sunk to become an artificial reef.

Newser - The vessel was scuttled to become the world’s largest artificial reef.

HOW:

Newser - The ship’s sinking was controlled, and the vessel had been thoroughly cleaned beforehand.

(UPDATED November 14, 2026 04:01 UTC)

The SS United States was deliberately sunk off Florida to create the world’s largest artificial reef. The ocean liner now rests upright in the Gulf of Mexico, 180 feet underwater. New video shows divers exploring its interior after the vessel was thoroughly cleaned and carefully scuttled.