Video: Liner S.S. United States Departs Philadelphia Starting Final Voyage

After many months of delays, the famed ocean liner s.s. United States departed her Philadelphia berth at midday on Wednesday, February 19. It is the first step on her final journey to becoming the world’s largest artificial reef sunk off the coast of Florida, and it drew wide attention from onlookers.

The ocean liner which still holds the title from 1952 of the fastest large passenger ship to cross the Atlantic had become a fixture on the Delaware River. She docked in an industrial part of the Port of Philadelphia in 1998. She was returning from Turkey and Ukraine where her interiors had been stripped to prepare for a possible new career as a cruise ship which never proceeded. For the past decade, the non-profit S.S. United States Conservancy sought to repurpose the vessel but in the end, was forced to sell the ship after losing a court fight with its landlord that controlled the Philadelphia pier.

Last week, the vessel was shifted north across the slipway to the adjoining pier to begin the final preparations for the tow, which was later delayed by 48 hours due to weather concerns. High wind warnings delayed the departure one final time.

At…