SS United States could be sunk off Florida coastline as part of artificial reef, sources say

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: CBS News

Updated on: August 31, 2024 / 3:11 PM EDT


PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- In keeping with the Sept. 12 court-imposed eviction from its pier in South Philadelphia, the SS United States very well may be sunk off the Okaloosa County, Fla. coast as part of an artificial reef, CBS News Philadelphia has learned.

The county's board of commissioners is expected to take up the matter at a meeting on Tuesday afternoon, according to sources, as well as public meeting agendas and briefing documents.

A spokesperson for the SS United States Conservancy said a short time ago by phone that the organization has had conversations with a handful of Florida counties because of the court's deadline for the ship to leave Pier 82. That deadline, sources say, has left the conservancy furiously trying to locate a temporary or permanent pier after the court declined to allow the historic ocean liner to remain longer at Pier 82.

Sources say sinking the ship, once properly converted and meets stringent environmental regulations, is an alternative to outright scrapping the vessel. The SS United States Conservancy declined to comment further on the matter. Sources cautioned a number of contingencies remain unresolved and that sinking the ship is not a "done deal."

Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ss-united-states-philadelphia-sunk-florida/

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REFERENCE
- https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143293874
- https://www.democraticunderground.com/11635304

[yourout]

1. If by some awful instance Trump wins the election I think he should do the honors of sending it to the bottom as it...

Would be very symbolic.

[3Hotdogs]

2. Be sure to appoint him as its captain before it is sunk.

[William Seger]

3. If Harris wins, maybe she can rename it the SS Trump first

[JoetheShow]

4. If I had a few billion lying around I would be tempted to buy the ship and refurbish it.

I know it would never make money but it would be my ego project. I've always had a soft spot for ocean liners. I guess I'm lucky I'm not rich enough to be tempted.

[padah513]

5. Why take it that far? Sink it here in NJ. We got tanks and planes down there. Great habitat for fish and for fishermen.

[LeftInTX]

6. Probably coral.

[BumRushDaShow]

7. Don't forget the U-boats!

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-guernsey-68615288 (this was a WWI one)

My mother who grew up as a young teen during WWII, would talk about the Jersey U-boat sightings and scares from worried residents here in Philly.

[Wonder Why]

13. Every time we go on a cruise, I watch for U-Boats. You never know - those Nazis might still be around. 😁

On one cruise, they had a board where people could put up notices of meetings. I put up one that the said the U-Boat Watcher's Group was meeting on one of the decks at midnight and volunteers should bring their binoculars. It stayed for a couple of days before disappearing. I always wondered what people thought about the note and the nut that posted it. 😁

[BumRushDaShow]

14. LOL

Someone probably forgot to bring their binoculars and got mad.

[melm00se]

15. here is a map of ship losses for WWII

https://www.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/fe88b5e18c6443c7afaf6e32f8432687

It can be filtered for flags.

[BumRushDaShow]

17. Can't tell if that includes U-boats (which are subs)

[melm00se]

18. Filter for Germany

and then zoom in and you can see labels for each dot

oder

Filtern Sie nach Deutschland, zoomen Sie dann hinein und Sie können Beschriftungen für jeden Punkt sehen.

Ich weiss was ein U-Boot ist auf Englisch.

[BlueSky3]

8. My family moved to

France in 1960 on the SS United States. Our two dogs were in the kennel on the top deck and my brother and I went to visit them daily in the rain that fell for most of the crossing. My dad was a Colonel in the Corps of Engineers and thought it would be a memorable trip for us. It definitely was.

[Delarage]

9. I'll miss seeing it

Parked next to the IKEA in Philly

I always wondered why no one fixed it up. But I guess it would be astronomically expensive.

[BumRushDaShow]

10. All the years I used to go up and down Delaware Ave.

to the Wally World down there, I never went further down that much to go by where the Ikea is, probably because I live pretty close to the one in Montgomery County (in Plymouth Meeting), so didn't need to.... well except when I used to go to a tropical fish store that used to be located around 2nd & Oregon and would get there using Delaware Ave. down to Oregon (which would go past that Ikea).

Was just looking at a Google street-view of the area and like They have done a lot of changes on Oregon Ave. (hadn't been down that way in a couple decades).

[Kid Berwyn]

11. FIRST, though, turn it into a floating prison....

…and fill it stem to stern with Trump and all his co-conspirators in treason. The sinking can be televised live. As the bow sinks under the waves, the rats swarm aft. Watch as demented Donnie von Shitzenpantz climbs over Josh Hawley and Ted Cruz to give the poop deck a bespoke feel.

In the water, shark fins break the surface as they circle a fully charged Tesla. Sparks jump from Elon Musks upturned finger.

[rickford66]

12. I build a model of it when I was a kid. I still have it.

I thought it was a beautiful ship and was proud of her speed record.

[0rganism]

16. Wouldn't be the first time the United States sank in Florida

Probably won't be the last, either

[pecosbob]

19. A storied vessel...

I can think of worse fates...the ship I served on in the Navy was sunk for target practice.