SS United States begins journey to become world's largest artificial reef

The historic, aging ocean liner that a Florida county plans to turn into the world’s largest artificial reef has departed from south Philadelphia’s Delaware River waterfront. The SS United States is a 1,000-foot vessel that shattered the transatlantic speed record on its maiden voyage in 1952. It left the waterfront on Wednesday afternoon. It will be towed to Mobile, Alabama, for planned prep work before officials eventually sink it off Florida’s Gulf Coast. The move comes months after the conservancy that oversees the ship and its landlord resolved a years-old rent dispute.