The historic ocean liner the will have to wait a bit longer to embark on its final voyage. Often called "America's flagship," the SS United States measures at nearly 1,000 feet long and is the . It still holds the speed record for the fastest crossing of the Atlantic Ocean by a passenger liner, an honor earned on in 1952, according to the , a nonprofit organization that honors the ship's heritage.
The plan for the historic ship is for it to be towed by tugboats to Mobile, Alabama where it will be broken down to serve as an artificial reef. After that 12-month process – where hazardous materials, fuel and other parts that could harm the environment will be removed – it will be towed to the Florida panhandle where it will rest off the state's coast near Destin-Fort Walton Beach. But the ship's Nov.
15 departure from the Philadelphia port where it has been docked for 28 years has been delayed "because of a tropical disturbance in the Gulf of Mexico that could impede safe delivery of the vessel to its destination in Mobile, Alabama," Okaloosa County, Florida officials said in a . The operation has been delayed "to ensure logistical details and procedures maintain ideal conditions for the move," Okaloosa County spokesman Nick Tomecek said, reported, part of the USA TODAY Network. A new date has not been set.
Developed by shipping operator United States Lines and the U.S. government, the SS United States was part luxury liner – included Marlon Brando, Marilyn Monroe, Bob Hope.
