|
Part One of Three: Musings is sharing this background story of the Livonia involvement ith the SS United States and as the ship continues traveling along the East Coast on the way to its final resting place and new home in the Gulf of Mexico we will strive to share this story, which to this typewriter is compelling.
When Chuck Dardas received a call from an acquaintance in Pennsylvania, he was curious. The caller wanted to know if, given Chuck's role in the automotive supply industry, he was acquainted with the legendary Lee Iacocca. "Knew of him? Yes. Know him? No," Chuck replied.
Intrigued, Chuck listened as the acquaintance shared the story of the S.S. United States, the fastest liner to ever cross the Atlantic, and the dire need for someone with Iacocca's stature to raise the hundreds of millions of dollars required to save this historic ocean liner from decay.
Seizing the opportunity to help, Chuck connected the acquaintance with Dave Lawrence, Senior Vice President at Alpha. Dave soon began serving on the S.S. United States Conservancy Board, dedicated to preserving the legacy of this extraordinary vessel.
The S.S. United States has been moored in Philadelphia for nearly three decades. The plans to save, preserve, and utilize this historic liner for another generation, perhaps in a different iteration, such as a hotel or some type of tourist attraction, fell short. Eventually, the dock where it was moored demanded that it be moved.
Excitingly, officials in Okaloosa County, Florida, purchased the liner and plan to sink the vessel off the coast of Florida, where it will become the world’s largest artificial reef.
"This is a large project and requires multiple steps to ensure a safe move," says Nick Tomecek, a public information officer for Florida’s Okaloosa County, which purchased the liner. "Okaloosa County is working in collaboration with federal, state, and local agencies to ensure a safe move of the ship that includes requests from the Coast Guard."
The nearly 1,000-foot-long S.S. United States was completed in 1951, built mostly of lightweight aluminum for unparalleled speed. Its maiden voyage from New York to Cornwall, England, in 1952 broke the record for the fastest transatlantic round trip ever sailed—a title it still holds today.
The S.S. United States Conservancy, a nonprofit that previously owned the ship, highlights her incredibly reduced weight and powerful engines, which allowed her to go “almost as fast in reverse as the Titanic could go forward.” The Titanic’s demise helped Gibbs in his planning for the S.S. United States: he double-lined its hull and included a second engine room.
Costing $78 million to build, with the American government footing two-thirds of the bill, the S.S. United States was also designed for military use, capable of transporting up to 14,000 troops at once. Now, this remarkable vessel is set to begin a new chapter as an extraordinary artificial reef.
"Once deployed off Destin-Fort Walton Beach, at nearly 1,000 feet long, the SS United States will be a home for a diverse range of marine life and attract divers and anglers from around the world.
Exactly where the ship will be sunk hasn't yet been determined, but it's expected to lie about 20 miles south of the Florida Panhandle in the Destin-Fort Walton Beach area.
The underwater ship will be turned into an "immersive experience" for divers, according to the tourism website.
Florida officials are also planning to build a museum on land for the ship. The museum will include the ship's funnels, radar mast, and other components, as well as an extensive archival collection.
| 
