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By Steven Frank
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The SS United States, the legendary ocean liner that carried presidents, royalty and some of Hollywood's biggest stars across the Atlantic, was slowly sinking off the Florida coast Wednesday evening in a controlled operation to create the world's largest artificial reef.
Crews began flooding the nearly 1,000-foot vessel around 1 p.m. CT, but the final mission proceeded far more slowly than anticipated. Most of the ship remained above the surface after sunset despite predictions that it could go under in less than an hour once flooded.
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The $13.5 million project marks a dramatic final chapter for a vessel that was once the fastest ocean liner to cross the Atlantic. It was also renowned for the extraordinary roster of famous passengers who crossed the ocean aboard it during its 17 years in service, from 1952 to 1969.
They included four U.S. presidents, British and European royalty, Hollywood stars, musicians, artists and other cultural figures.
Famous Passengers on the SS United States
The following list was compiled by Newsweek using research from the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, records and historical material from the SS United States Conservancy, and other historical accounts of the liner.
Researchers at the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation have combed through surviving passenger manifests to identify prominent travelers aboard the ship, while the SS United States Conservancy has documented notable passengers and events from the liner's history.
- John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy: The future president and first lady sailed aboard the SS United States while Kennedy was a U.S. senator. On one voyage, Kennedy was using crutches because of a back injury. Jacqueline had also traveled aboard before their marriage, when, as Jacqueline Bouvier, she went to Britain as a reporter for the Washington Times-Herald to cover the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.
- Bill Clinton: The future president sailed aboard in 1968 while traveling to Britain to study at Oxford University as a Rhodes scholar. Clinton traveled in tourist class with his saxophone and helped seasick fellow Rhodes scholars by bringing them soup and crackers, according to historical accounts of the voyage.
- Harry Truman and Dwight Eisenhower: The two former presidents were also among the ship's prominent passengers. Together with Kennedy and Clinton, they were the four past, present or future U.S. presidents who sailed aboard the liner, according to the SS United States Conservancy.
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- Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier III: Rainier traveled westbound aboard the ship in December 1955 while courting the Hollywood star. He proposed to Kelly shortly afterward, and the couple sailed aboard the SS United States a number of times following their marriage.
- Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson: The former British king, subsequently the Duke of Windsor, and the Duchess of Windsor became devoted passengers. They traveled exclusively aboard the SS United States after its 1952 launch while commuting between homes in Paris and New York, according to historical accounts. The couple stayed in the celebrated "Duck Suite," which was created by combining three first-class staterooms.
- Marilyn Monroe: The Hollywood icon was among an extraordinary collection of movie stars who sailed aboard the SS United States during the height of the liner's fame. The SS United States Conservancy lists Monroe among the vessel's celebrated passengers.
- Elizabeth Taylor: The Oscar-winning actress was another of the major Hollywood names to travel on the SS United States.
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- Cary Grant: The British-born Hollywood leading man was among the celebrity passengers who crossed the Atlantic aboard the ship.
- Joan Crawford: The Academy Award-winning actress was another star associated with voyages aboard the liner.
- Bob Hope: The comedian, actor and longtime entertainer of U.S. troops was among the vessel's famous travelers.
- Marlon Brando: The actor made a westbound Atlantic crossing aboard the ship in November 1954. According to an account of the voyage, Brando threw a party for members of the crew and arrived with a guitar and two bottles of Scotch whisky.
- Salvador Dalí: The surrealist artist was aboard the same November 1954 crossing as Brando and brought a considerably more unusual traveling companion: his pet ocelot, which stayed in his cabin.
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- Duke Ellington: The pioneering jazz composer and bandleader was among the musicians who traveled aboard the ship. Other famous musical passengers included Leonard Bernstein, Irving Berlin and gospel singer Mahalia Jackson.
- Walter Cronkite: Before becoming one of America's most famous television news anchors, Cronkite and his wife, Betsy Cronkite, traveled aboard the ship on the same voyage that carried Jacqueline Bouvier to Britain to report on the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.
- Haile Selassie: The emperor of Ethiopia was among the international leaders and royalty who traveled aboard the liner.
Other celebrated passengers included Coco Chanel, Sean Connery, Gary Cooper, John Wayne and Walt Disney, according to the SS United States Conservancy.
Not every famous passenger was human. In 1963, the Mona Lisa crossed the Atlantic aboard the SS United States while Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece was being transported to America for exhibitions in Washington and New York, according to the conservancy.
From Speed Record to Artificial Reef
More than 3,000 workers helped build the SS United States in Virginia in 1950 and 1951. The liner made its maiden voyage in July 1952 and immediately established itself as a technological marvel.
On that voyage, it broke the eastbound transatlantic speed record previously held by Britain's RMS Queen Mary, completing the crossing in three days, 10 hours and 40 minutes. It also broke the westbound record on its return journey.
At 990 feet long, the SS United States is 108 feet longer than the Titanic.
Its design also reflected Cold War-era national security concerns. Naval architect William Francis Gibbs designed the ship so that it could be converted into a troops transport during wartime. The vessel ultimately never served in that role.
Instead, it became one of the most prestigious means to cross the Atlantic. The rise of commercial air travel contributed to the decline of transatlantic ocean liners, and the SS United States was withdrawn from service in 1969.
The vessel subsequently changed owners repeatedly amid proposals to return it to service or transform it into a hotel or other attraction. From 1996 until February 2025, it remained docked in Philadelphia before being moved to Mobile, Alabama, for preparations to become an artificial reef.
The SS United States Is Sinking
The controlled sinking began Wednesday afternoon about 25 miles southwest of Destin, Florida. Crews had spent months preparing the vessel, removing environmentally hazardous material and cutting holes strategically through the hull and decks so that it would sink gradually and remain level. No explosives were used.
The operation proved considerably slower than expected. By sunset, the majority of the liner's hull remained above the Gulf despite seawater having been allowed into the vessel for hours. Dozens of tugboats, recreational craft and other vessels surrounded the ship during its final hours afloat.
The ship's sinking was also being streamed live online.
Once the SS United States reaches the Gulf floor, organizers expect it to sit upright in approximately 180 feet of water off Destin. Its upper deck is expected to be roughly 50 feet below the surface, according to project organizers cited by Reuters.
The project is intended to create habitat for marine life, including tuna, marlin and swordfish, while attracting divers and fishing enthusiasts to an area already home to hundreds of artificial reefs.
The ship's distinctive red, white and blue funnels were removed for preservation rather than sent to the seafloor and are expected to become part of a planned land-based museum dedicated to the liner.
Once submerged, the 990-foot SS United States will become the world's largest artificial reef.
For a ship once synonymous with speed, luxury and the glamour of transatlantic travel, its slow descent into the Gulf represents an extraordinary final chapter. But another part of its history will remain above water: the remarkable roster of presidents, royalty, Hollywood legends, musicians and artists who once crossed the Atlantic aboard it.
Newsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here. Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Edward T. Cummins
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