This week on the channel +4.5M views this week

Former passengers bring SS United States memories to WPBF's reef coverage

Rose Skelton and Teresa Hebert recall their 1962 voyage as the ocean liner is prepared for sinking off Florida.

Channel:

WPBF 25 News Story of November 12, 2026Trari Newsroom

Why this story? The channel's weekly summary: what went up this week, what is drawing views now, and where the channel stands among similar channels.

SS United States ocean liner sinks off Florida's Gulf Coast

Things we can learn from the video

Press to jump

3:28Jennifer Adams explains that a fire boat is pumping water into the liner's hull ahead of sinking.
4:16Former passengers Rose Skelton and Teresa Hebert share memories of their 1962 voyage.
7:07Hebert explains how her mother's memoirs helped reconnect the family with the ship.
8:02Skelton welcomes the idea that the vessel will serve others again as a reef.
8:11Aerial coverage returns to the liner and nearby support vessels as preparations continue.

WPBF 25 News gives the SS United States farewell a passenger's perspective: Rose Skelton and her daughter, Destin City Councilwoman Teresa Hebert, remember traveling aboard the liner long before its transformation into an artificial reef.

Their interview is part of "SS United States ocean liner sinks off Florida's Gulf Coast," the channel's most-watched upload of the week. It reached roughly 14,000 views in its first hour. Jennifer Adams describes a fire boat pumping water into the hull, while aerial footage shows the enormous vessel surrounded by support boats and spectators.

Hebert explains that her mother's memoirs helped her rediscover the family's connection to the ship, prompting a visit in Mobile before its cleanup. Skelton finds something reassuring in its new purpose: "It is nice to know that it will have another life to serve other people."

The liner coverage joins a busy week of weather forecasts and local reporting, including residents demanding action after St. Lucie County's historic flooding. Among uploads with an established daily viewing rate, the Miami Beach arrest report and two forecasts are drawing the most views.

Across the channel, daily views are well above their usual level, and subscribers increased over the week. WPBF recorded about 4.5 million views across those seven days, the largest weekly gain among the nearby-size channels here. FOX6 News Milwaukee and WREG also have elevated daily audiences, while LOCAL 12 is quieter than usual. For WPBF, the newest standout makes room for memories of the liner as a passenger ship, not just images of its final deployment.

Published on Trari

Where next?

Also in Local news stationsVideo taking off 12x its usual first dayDriver held on murder charges after North Hollywood vendors' deathsCBS LA's Rick Montanez reports that three women were killed and two other people hospitalized after an SUV struck a sidewalk food stand.Channel: CBS LA · Story of November 12, 2026

A different discovery todayVideo taking off 23x its usual first dayJimmy Kimmel takes on Hegseth's "doozy" of a press conferenceThe monologue moves from a Thomas Massie impeachment filing to Trump phoning C-SPAN, then closes with a parody trailer for Melania: The Series.Channel: Jimmy Kimmel Live · Story of November 12, 2026

What viewers say

I never thought I’d get so emotional watching a ship sink but I did. Wow! I can’t imagine those that actually have memories on there. What a bittersweet moment.
@jjgarcia977See it on YouTube
While i don't like that she rolled but the shot of her nameplate being almost the last thing you see was very beautiful.
@poorman973See it on YouTube
What a vessel.
@Voidheart3000See it on YouTube

Public comments from the video's page on YouTube