SS United States Is Due to Leave Mobile Under Tow This Morning, Three Days Before Its Scheduled Sinking Off Destin

The last voyage of the SS United States begins this morning. The former ocean liner is scheduled to leave the Mobile, Alabama, yard where it has been prepared for the sea floor and head into the Gulf of Mexico under tow, bound for a patch of water southwest of Destin, Florida, where Okaloosa County plans to sink it as the world's largest artificial reef.

The departure time is approximate. The Waterways Journal reported that AL.com expected the ship to leave around 10 am on 9 November, weather permitting, and that the Coast Guard will issue a Broadcast Notice to Mariners with exact times. The sinking itself is set for about 10 am on Thursday 12 November, with a public sendoff at 1:30 pm on Wednesday at the Destin-Fort Walton Beach Convention Center. We covered the schedule and viewing plans last week.

What is the route, and what is the Coast Guard safety zone?

According to the Waterways Journal, the tow leaves the recycling facility in Mobile, runs down the Mobile River Channel and across Mobile Bay, then enters the Gulf. A temporary moving safety zone covers 100 yards around the tow and ends at the territorial sea boundary, about 12 nautical miles off Destin. The rule was published in the Federal Register on 30 October and applies from 6 to 16 November, but is enforced only while the ship is under tow. Vessels need permission from the captain of the port, Sector Mobile, to enter it, and the Coast Guard cites restricted manoeuvrability, wake and vessel congestion as the main hazards. Officials expect hundreds of spectator boats on the day and have asked mariners to monitor VHF channel 16.

Is the sinking definitely going ahead?

Not beyond question. Departure and sinking both depend on conditions. NPR, in a piece published on 8 November, reported that a nonprofit conservation group had filed a lawsuit to stop it, citing harm to marine life and the food web; the story did not give the case's status. NPR quoted Fogg, who spoke for the project, as saying it met federal, state and other applicable standards and that no viable restoration plan or funding existed to save the ship above water.

What will divers find on the SS United States reef?

Okaloosa County's published FAQ puts the upper deck about 55 feet down and the deepest point about 180 feet, a spread it says suits beginner and technical divers alike. The county has said it hopes to turn the area into a wreck-diving destination. Those depths are a reminder that a ship this size is two sites in one: the upper levels sit within recreational limits, while anything deeper calls for technical training, gas planning and a qualified instructor.

This is journalism, not instruction. Anyone planning to dive the wreck should train and plan with a certified instructor and a recognised agency, and follow the county's rules once the site opens. The FAQ does not say when diving can begin after the sinking.

By Thursday evening the liner that won the Blue Riband on its maiden voyage in 1952 is due to be a reef. For now, the story is a slow tow, a safety zone and a weather window.