As SS United States starts final journey from Mobile, a day for goodbyes

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - The SS United States once carried passengers across the Atlantic Ocean in luxurious style.

Soon, the historic ocean liner will begin its transition to a new life as an underwater destination.

With the help of tugboats, the grand ocean liner began its final journey from Mobile, where it has spent the last 20 months undergoing cleaning in preparation for its future as what Okaloosa County, Florida, leaders describe as the world’s largest artificial reef. The county on Monday moved up plans to sink the vessel from Thursday to Wednesday due to a forecast of high winds on Thursday. Council leaders have said they hope the attraction will draw thousands of scuba divers and other tourists.

But Monday was a day for goodbyes.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime thing,” said Benjamin Sonier, one of a group of people who watched the ship leave port. “You’re not gonna see something like this unless, you know, you come and see it.”

Sonier, a Louisiana resident who was in Mobile for his mother-in-law’s birthday, said he had read about the SS United States but did not realize it was in the Port City.

“And just happened to roll up right as they were hooking everything up and got to watch it go,” he said. “The fastest cruise liner in the world, 44 miles an hour. You know, nothing’s going that fast.”

Mobile resident John Schneider said he has come to see the ship several times since it has been in Mobile. On Monday, he was soaking it all in.

“Just enjoy it while you can, because it’s gonna be a short time and then it’s sunk,” he said. “And we’ll never see it again.”

The ship’s move to Okaloosa County did not come without a fight. Opponents, from preservationists to environmentalists to members of the New York City Council, tried to stop it. They argued sinking the ship poses environmental risks. And they said the historic ship deserved a better fate than getting stripped of its funnel and turned into undersea wreckage. They said steps should have been taken to renovate it and open it up for tours.

But Okaloosa County leaders say the ship was too far gone for that to be feasible. They noted that it sat for years in the Port of Philadelphia. The sinking, they said, will give it new life.

The SS United States Foundation filed two different civil actions last week to block it. A federal judge in Florida over the weekend turned the second of those challenges away for a second time.

Warren Jones, who is on the board of directors of the SS United States Conservancy, got a close-up look at the ship aboard the Perdido Queen. He said he has mixed emotions. He said the passengers on the Perdido Queen formed an eclectic group.

“There were many people experienced with the ship,” he said. “There were former passengers onboard today. There were people who had just heard of the ship two years ago, you know, the first time they ever heard of the SS United States. And others (were) more familiar with it over her lifetime. So, it was a real mix of people and their connections to the ship, but they all had a connection.”

Even though the SS United States will have a new home at the bottom of the Gulf, there are still ways it will be remembered. Jones said he is excited about the museum in Fort Walton Beach that will tell the story of the ship. That is in the early planning stages, but Jones said organizers have gathered 10,000 objects from the ship, including the 38,000-pound stem anchor.

Jones has a personal connection to the vessel. He recalled a trans-Atlantic trip he took on it when he was 8 years old.

“A lot of family memories every time I come near the ship or give tours on the ship, which I’ve done in years past,” he said. “But it was emotional. You know, she still has her beautiful lines, even with those funnels gone. She still has those beautiful lines that gave her such speed and power over all those years of service.”

As crew members towed the ship down the Mobile River and into Mobile Bay, some folks clamored for one last look. Gwen Ainsworth has seen the vessel up close on past paddleboard cruises. A photo she took now hangs in the Lupercalia Art Society in downtown Mobile. On Monday, the ship was too far away to get a good view from Bayfront Park on Mobile Bay. But she said the memories remain.

“It just the history is just so amazing, and to hear the stories of the families that were on that ship that were little kids. … It’s just so grand to see it, and I feel like I have to be here, just like to tell it goodbye,” she said.

Updated at 6:43 p.m. to reflect a late change to the SS United States schedule. The ship now will be sunk Wednesday.