Historic ocean liner departs Philadelphia on voyage to become the world's largest artificial reef

The historic, aging ocean liner that a Florida county plans to turn into the world’s largest artificial reef departed from south Philadelphia’s Delaware River waterfront on Wednesday, marking the opening segment of its final voyage.

The SS United States, a 1,000-foot vessel that shattered the transatlantic speed record on its maiden voyage in 1952, is being towed to Mobile, Alabama, for planned prep work before officials eventually sink it off Florida’s Gulf Coast.

The move comes about four months after the conservancy that oversees the ship and its landlord resolved a years-old rent dispute. Officials initially planned to move the vessel last November, but that was delayed due to concerns from the U.S. Coast Guard that the ship wasn't stable enough to make the trip.

Officials in Okaloosa County on Florida’s coastal Panhandle hope it will become a barnacle-encrusted standout among the county’s more than 500 artificial reefs and a signature diving attraction that could generate millions of dollars annually in local tourism spending for scuba shops, charter fishing boats and hotels.

Officials have said the deal to buy the ship could eventually cost more than $10 million. The lengthy process of cleaning, transporting and sinking the vessel is expected to take at least one-and-a-half years.

The SS United States was once considered a beacon of American engineering, doubling as a military vessel that could carry thousands of troops. Its maiden voyage broke the transatlantic speed record in both directions when it reached an average speed of 36 knots, or just over 41 mph (66 kph), The Associated Press reported from aboard the ship. The ship crossed the Atlantic Ocean in three days, 10 hours and 40 minutes, besting the RMS Queen Mary’s time by 10 hours. To this day, the SS United States holds the transatlantic speed record for an ocean liner.

“The ship will forever symbolize our nation’s strength, innovation, and resilience,” said Susan Gibbs, president of the SS United States Conservancy and granddaughter of the naval architect who designed the vessel. "We wish her ‘fair winds and following seas’ on her historic journey to her new home.”

The SS United States became a reserve ship in 1969 and later bounced to various private owners who hoped to redevelop it. But they eventually found their plans too expensive or poorly timed, leaving the vessel looming for years on south Philadelphia’s Delaware River waterfront.

The SS United States is towed down the Delaware River between Pennsylvania and New Jersey, from Philadelphia, Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

The SS United States is towed down the Delaware River between Pennsylvania and New Jersey, from Philadelphia, Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

The SS United States is towed down the Delaware River between Pennsylvania and New Jersey, from Philadelphia, Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

The SS United States is towed down the Delaware River between Pennsylvania and New Jersey, from Philadelphia, Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

The SS United States is towed down the Delaware River between Pennsylvania and New Jersey, from Philadelphia, Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

The SS United States is towed down the Delaware River between Pennsylvania and New Jersey, from Philadelphia, Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

The SS United States is towed down the Delaware River between Pennsylvania and New Jersey, from Philadelphia, Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

The SS United States is towed down the Delaware River between Pennsylvania and New Jersey, from Philadelphia, Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

The SS United States is towed down the Delaware River between Pennsylvania and New Jersey, from Philadelphia, Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

The SS United States is towed down the Delaware River between Pennsylvania and New Jersey, from Philadelphia, Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

The SS United States is towed down the Delaware River between Pennsylvania and New Jersey, from Philadelphia, Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

The SS United States is towed down the Delaware River between Pennsylvania and New Jersey, from Philadelphia, Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

The SS United States is towed down the Delaware River between Pennsylvania and New Jersey, from Philadelphia, Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

The SS United States is towed down the Delaware River between Pennsylvania and New Jersey, from Philadelphia, Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Alexander Nikishin took the ice helmetless for warmups prior to Game 5 of the Carolina Hurricanes' second-round series at Washington and skated the customary solo lap for a player making his NHL debut.

While it meant bad news of injured defenseman Jalen Chatfield not being available, Nikishin got to go from playing in Russia all season to jumping into the middle of the playoffs. The organization's top prospect skated 10 1/2 minutes as Chatfield's replacement on the blue line and drew strong reviews from teammates and coach Rod Brind'Amour for how he handled the situation.

“I don’t know that there’s a tougher spot to throw a kid in, especially when there’s such a language barrier,” Brind'Amour said. “I thought he did all right. We got a little fortunate on the one that was offside because he turned that one over and had it on his tape, but he hung in there. And you can see he’s going to be a good player for us, and he’s got a bright future.”

Nikishin was spared of being on the wrong end of a Capitals goal because it was taken off the board on a coach's challenge for offside. He was steady in most of his 16 shifts Thursday night.

“I thought he was great,” veteran defenseman Sean Walker said. "He’s a big body, he skates well, he shoots the puck well. He really ended some plays in the D zone and in the O zone you see he can get a pretty good shot off. It was great to see.”

Brind'Amour and Walker credited Dmitry Orlov and the Hurricanes' other Russians for helping the 23-year-old new to North America adjust as well as possible. Nikishin left the KHL earlier this spring and signed his first NHL contract last month.

“I was so nervous whenever a Russian guy comes and starts playing, but I tried to give him a couple advices and I think he did a great job,” said Svechnikov, who scored the go-ahead goal in a series-ending 3-1 victory. "I couldn’t imagine just coming from Russia and playing a playoff game. It must be so hard. But he did a great job. I’m very proud of him.”

Chatfield appeared to tweak something late in Game 4. The team announced early in warmups that Chatfield would not play in Game 5 because of an undisclosed injury.

“That was just a huge guy to have out,” Brind'Amour said. “Hopefully he can recover in however many days that we have here.”

Carolina will face either Florida or Toronto in the Eastern Conference final. Walker, Orlov, Jaccob Slavin, Shayne Gostisbehere and Brent Burns played some extra minutes in Chatfield's absence Thursday night but would love to have him in the lineup for the opening game of the third round.

“We really miss Chatty,” Walker said. "He’s a big part of our D corps back there, so we’ll be excited to have him back.”

AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Alexander Nikishin (21) skates with the puck past Washington Capitals right wing Tom Wilson (43) in the first period of Game 5 of a second-round NHL hockey playoff series Thursday, May 15, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Alexander Nikishin (21) warms up before Game 5 of a second-round NHL hockey playoff series against the Washington Capitals Thursday, May 15, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)