Plans for the SS United States may have been halted due to weather concerns in the Gulf of Mexico, but dozens of people still stuck to a schedule and took a cruise on the Spirit of Philadelphia around noon Thursday.
The boat stopped at Pier 80 next to the SS United States, allowing passengers to see the nearly 1,000-foot-long ocean liner up close. Many on the cruise have personal ties to the ship.
The SS United States will soon rest at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico near Destin, Florida, creating the largest artificial reef in the world. It will be so prepared in Mobile, Alabama before it sinks. That could take a year.
The ship was scheduled to leave South Philadelphia on Friday, but officials with Okaloosa County, now the ship’s owner, said it was a tropical disturbance. have ruined those plans.
A new date has not been set.
Most supporters of the SS United States tell CBS News Philadelphia that they agree with the reef plan and consider it the best alternative to demolition.
Joe Holden
