The S.S. United States' planned Friday departure

The process of moving the S.S. United States ocean liner, by tugboats, from Philadelphia to a dock in Mobile, Alabama--before it is ultimately moved to Florida--is scheduled to begin tomorrow (Feb. 14th).

The ship is now owned by Okaloosa County, in Florida.  It is to be sunk, off of the Florida coast, becoming the world's largest artificial reef.  The process, in Alabama, of preparing the ship for sinking is expected to take approximately a year.

The ship was scheduled to be moved from Philadelphia's waterfront in November, but the possibility of storms in the Gulf of Mexico necessitated a postponement.  There was, later, an additional delay, prompted by the U.S. Coast Guard.  The Coast Guard had questions about the ship's physical integrity--seeking to insure it was capable of making the journey to Alabama.  Those concerns were addressed, to the Coast Guard's satisfaction.

Another delay occurred before February 8th, the day the ship was to be towed to another pier on the Philadelphia waterfront, prior to making the journey to Alabama.  

The additional delay, also prompted by the Coast Guard, involved this initial part of the process--moving the ship from Philadelphia's Pier 82 to nearby Pier 80.  Those concerns--requiring "additional due diligence involving further testing and safety protocols," according to the Facebook page of the S.S. United States Conservancy--were also addressed, and the process (at least as of this writing) is to begin at about noon on Friday. 

Children's book, "The Superliner United States" 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here, from the Conservancy's Facebook page, are the plans scheduled for tomorrow, and then for Monday, when the ship is expected to leave Pier 80, and begin what should be a two-week journey to Mobile:

-- Friday, February 14, 2025: At approximately 12:00 pm ET, tugboats will secure themselves to the SS United States at Pier 82 and maneuver the vessel to the north side of the slip in conjunction with high tide (at approximately 2:47 pm), where she will be secured to Pier 80.

 

-- Monday, February 17, 2025: Tugboats will maneuver the SS United States out into the Delaware River channel and then proceed with the tow down river at low tide at approximately 11:18 am. The ship will pass under various bridges, including the Walt Whitman Bridge (I-76), the Commodore Barry Bridge (U.S. 322), and the Delaware Memorial Bridge (I-295) along her route, with the Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA) coordinating bridge closures. 

 

During the SS United States' two-week tow along the eastern seaboard, Okaloosa's contractors will be utilizing real-time route planning, which will adjust the ship's course every 6-hours based on weather and currents. You can track the ship's course at https://www.destinfwb.com/explore/eco-tourism/ssus/.

For more details, visit https://conta.cc/3EOhVXp. 

 

Here is the link to the Conservancy's Facebook page:

 

https://www.facebook.com/SSUSC

 

(The children's book pictured above, "The Superliner United States," was written by J. Duncan Ford, and illustrated by A.K. Bilder.  The book, featuring on its cover a drawing of the ship--and accompanying tugboats--was published by Rand McNally & Company in 1953, the year following the ocean liner's maiden voyage.)