Video taking off 30x its usual first day

SS United States' final roll draws WPBF viewers' attention

The planned reef sinking brought an unusually large audience to the station's coverage, with comments focusing on the liner's tilt and its last visible nameplate.

Channel:

WPBF 25 News Story of November 13, 2026Trari Newsroom

Why this story? The video opened at a pace of 51,995 views a day, 30 times a normal first day on this channel (1,738).

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

What did you think?

Video summary

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0:00Aerial footage shows the liner surrounded by support boats and spectator vessels.
3:28Jennifer Adams explains that a fire boat is pumping water into the hull ahead of sinking.
4:16Former passengers Rose Skelton and Teresa Hebert recall their family's 1962 voyage.
7:07Hebert describes rediscovering the family connection through her mother's memoirs and arranging a visit aboard.
17:00Drone cameras circle the liner as preparations continue.

The name on the hull is what several viewers remember: SS United States, still visible as the liner slipped beneath the water. In the comments under WPBF 25 News's coverage, that detail sits alongside a recurring discussion about the ship rolling onto its side during its planned sinking.

The historic liner was deliberately sunk off Florida's Panhandle to become an artificial reef. WPBF's broadcast drew about 52,000 views in its first day, roughly thirty times the usual opening for the station's longer videos.

Viewers discuss the sideways descent, with some wondering what it means for the wreck's position underwater. Their comments do not establish how the ship ultimately settled on the seabed, but they show which part of the farewell prompted questions.

The broadcast also documents the work before the descent. Aerial cameras circle the hull and surrounding boats, while Jennifer Adams explains that a Fort Walton Beach fire boat is pumping water into the vessel.

That practical preparation shares the coverage with a passenger's perspective. Rose Skelton, who sailed aboard in 1962, offers a simple thought about the reef conversion: "It is nice to know that it will have another life to serve other people."

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What viewers say

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
With years of standing upright she decided to finally rest on her side
@saylorlippert8973See it on YouTube
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

Public comments from the video's page on YouTube