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IrelandSS United States' planned sinking took eight hours, FOX 9 reports
A former passenger finds comfort in avoiding the scrapyard as the historic liner becomes an artificial reef off Florida.
FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul
Story of Why this story? The video opened at a pace of 56,966 views a day, 18 times a normal first day on this channel (3,136).
SS United States sinking creates world's largest artificial reef
Next story: SS United States' illuminated decks disappear into the Gulf
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Warren Jones remembers feeling the engines come alive as SS United States sailed past the Statue of Liberty. Watching the liner's final chapter brings a different kind of emotion.
"In a way, we're comforted that the ship did not go to the scrapyard," the former passenger and SS United States Conservancy board member tells FOX 9's report.
The intentional sinking off Destin, Florida, was supposed to take less than an hour. Instead, reporter Asher Redd says, it took eight. The station's segment follows the ship from its transatlantic speed-record days to its new purpose beneath the surface, described as the world's largest artificial reef.
Okaloosa County Natural Resources Manager Rob Fenwick explains the ecological idea: a hard surface gives encrusting organisms somewhere to settle, creating the foundation for a food chain. Redd also describes informational plaques for divers exploring the site.
The report drew about 42,000 views in its first thirteen hours, far beyond FOX 9's usual first-day audience for regular videos. Its brief running time holds both sides of the transformation: Jones's memory of a powerful passenger liner and the county's plans for a marine habitat.
An American ocean liner built in 1950–1951. It holds the record for the fastest Atlantic crossing by an ocean liner in either direction, first set on its maiden voyage in 1952.
More on Wikipedia ›A city in Okaloosa County, Florida, with a population of 13,931 at the 2020 census.
More on Wikipedia ›A county in northwestern Florida stretching from the Gulf of Mexico to the Alabama border. It is known for its beaches, military presence and numerous artificial reef projects.
More on Wikipedia ›Published on Trari
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What viewers say
So the big question everyone wants to know,... did it land upright?
@bloodredsky24See it on YouTubeI was out there before the ship sank and I tell you it was a very emotional moment
@FloridastoughestswimmerSee it on YouTubeAs much as I was against this I do agree this result was better than the scrapyard.
@williamstamper442See it on YouTube
1 more comment
Why didnt they do this in daylight ?
@RobertMiller-xk1xqSee it on YouTube
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- Channel
- FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul
- Subscribers
- 847,000 ▲ 1,000 this week
- Channel views, last 7 days
- 4,432,801
- Channel views, pace per day
- 775,196 (on a normal day: 639,000)
- Video published
- November 12, 2026
- Video views so far
- 41,748 (less than a day online)
- Video views, pace per day
- 56,966
The numbers
FOX 9's reef report drew an unusually large audience before its first full day was complete.
💡 Test your knowledge
In which city did SS United States spend decades docked before its reef conversion?
FOX 9's report describes the liner spending nearly three decades in Philadelphia before Okaloosa County bought it.