Continuing gusty winds led organizers to again delay the departure of the SS United States from Philadelphia until early afternoon Feb. 19. The historic ocean liner is now scheduled to head down the Delaware River under tow shortly before 1 p.m. Wednesday.
The planned two-week transit south will bring the 992’x101’ ship to Mobile, Ala., for preparations to ultimately sink off the Florida Gulf coast as a future recreational diving and fishing attraction. Officials of Okaloosa County, who acquired the ship last October in a $10.1 million agreement with the SS United States Conservancy, are already billing it as the world’s largest artificial fishing reef.
The National Weather Service forecasted high winds to persist into Tuesday with 35 mph gusts.
“After careful consideration and out of an abundance of caution, Florida's Okaloosa County has announced that the departure of the SS United States from Philadelphia has been rescheduled for Wednesday, February 19, 2025 due to continued high wind conditions,” the conservancy announced early Monday evening. “We realize these repeated delays have been challenging, but we are committed to sharing these updates with you as we receive them.”
After nearly 30 years berthed in Philadelphia, and the conservancy’s efforts since 2011 to preserve and convert the ship for a museum and commercial use, its fate was forced when pier owners and the conservancy ended up in court over dockage fees. The plan now is for an onshore museum in the Destin-Fort Walton coast region to hold the conservancy’s trove of SS United States artifacts and tell the story of what it calls “America’s Flagship.”
In the latest departure plan, tugboats “are expected to maneuver the SS United States out into the Delaware River channel two to three hours before low tide. She will then proceed down river at approximately 12:51 p.m.,” according to the conservancy.
On the river the ship will pass under the Walt Whitman Bridge carrying Interstate 76, the Commodore Barry Bridge and Delaware Memorial Bridge with Interstate 295 as the Delaware River Port Authority coordinates 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,” according o the conservancy. “This makes her specific route and timing challenging to predict. You can track the ship's course at https://www.destinfwb.com/explore/eco-tourism/ssus/.”
