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The retired ocean liner SS United States was intentionally sunk off Florida on Nov. 11 to become an artificial reef, ending a long campaign to preserve the ship while giving it a new role for divers, fish and marine research. The scuttling took place in the Gulf of Mexico, where the vessel is expected to serve as a destination for recreational diving and a site for scientists to study how marine life colonizes a large structure.

From transatlantic speed record to Gulf seafloor

Launched in 1952, the SS United States held the record for the fastest transatlantic crossing by an ocean liner, a mark it still retains. The 990-foot ship crossed the Atlantic more than 800 times during its passenger service. Its conversion into a reef followed years of efforts to find a sustainable use for the vessel and extensive preparation to remove materials that could pose environmental risks before it was sunk.

The project was reported to cost about $13.5 million. Local officials expect the reef to attract divers and fishing activity, turning the former passenger ship into part of the region’s marine-tourism economy. The project’s eventual ecological value will take time to measure; an artificial reef can provide habitat, but the results depend on conditions at the site and how marine communities develop.

Researchers will track life around the ship

The sinking also creates a new research site. Scientists from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution plan to establish a baseline and monitor water chemistry, microbes and the arrival of marine organisms around the ship over time. Those observations can help researchers understand how a large artificial structure changes as it becomes part of an underwater ecosystem.

For more destination coverage, browse The Globuzz’s Travel stories.

Sources: Associated Press; CBS News; Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.