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Potential Sinking Of SS United States Under Consideration For Escambia County As Artificial Reef
July 22, 2024
There’s discussion about sinking the SS United States, a 1,000-foot-long ship that’s larger than the Oriskany and longer than the Titanic, offshore from Escambia County.
Many in the diving community have expressed support of the idea, saying it would make Escambia County an ultimate diving spot.
If approved, the ship would become a new dive attraction in the area, bringing tourism and economic benefits to the region. But it would come without a hefty price tag.
Escambia County Commissioner Jeff Bergosh said it would take a commitment of $10 million and fast because it would need to be moved from a shipyard in Pennsylvania by September 12 and towed to Escambia County during hurricane season.
“I like the idea; I like the plan. But $10 Million is a heavy lift. Possible funding sources include TDT (tourist development tax) funds, perhaps some BP Oil Spill money, and potentially even a Triumph Gulf Coast grant if such a project could meet that board’s criteria,” Berfosh wrote on his blog. ” Stay tuned over the next several weeks as this will be discussed due to the pressing timeline. And again, for my vote, I LOVE this idea just as I LOVED the plan to bring American Magic here — which has now come to pass.
“This ship could also be a huge get for our area,” he wrote.
The Escambia County Marine Advisory Committee is expected to discuss the idea at a Monday afternoon meeting.
The SS United States is 990 feet long, 100 feet longer than the Titanic. It is just over 101 feet wide, and 53,330 tones. The draw at the load line was 36 feet-4 inches. The ocean liner was built between 1950 and 1951 for Unite States Lines. It was taken out of service in 1969.
The nonprofit SS United States Conservancy is working to relocate the ship from Philadelphia to comply with a court order. They have filed a motion with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania requesting a short extension of the deadline to move the vessel from September 12, 2024, until December 5, 2024.
The Conservancy’s motion comes as the organization continues to aggressively explore potential temporary and permanent berths in the Philadelphia area and other port cities along the East Coast and prepare the ship to leave its current pier safely, according to a press release.
Earlier this summer, U.S. District Court Senior Judge Anita Brody ruled that the SS United States’ landlord, Penn Warehousing, could not double dockage fees without notice in its effort to force America’s Flagship from Pier 82 in Philadelphia. However, the Court also directed the Conservancy to remove the irreplaceable national symbol from Pier 82 in Philadelphia by September 12, 2024.
Comments
6 Responses to “Potential Sinking Of SS United States Under Consideration For Escambia County As Artificial Reef”
@Voter @Just Saying @Lex @Me AMEN and AMEN to ALL your comments. This ship is THE last thing we need. We need to get a grip on the drug culture and the crime rate in this county. JEFF Bergosh…if you want the ship here that bad….pull out your own money and bring it here. DON’T depend and rely on taxpayers to fund $10 million to put a whole in a boat just to sink it when our county is slowing sinking. Put that money to a worthwhile cause. Thank you very much.
If Bergosh likes the idea then there is money that can be siphoned off. How many times do we need to see how crooked people are before you stop voting for them?
It highlights all that’s wrong with this generation of politicians on every level. They would spend $10million dollars to bring a ship down here and sink it. It’s hard to imagine that money being recouped any time soon.
Spend the $10 mil on getting a handle on the drugs and crime that are rampant in Escambia County instead of trying to bring more people here to be preyed upon. It used to be a beautiful place. Now the beaches are so crowded that it’s no longer a fun destination.
It’s amazing the county is aggressively wanting to give serious consideration to moving a ship here from Philadelphia. But when the Lexington came available they made no honest effort to keep her here. She would have been a real historical tourist attraction. And oh yes there would not have been a hefty cost to relocate her.
10 Million Dollars!!!
Why would we spend that money to bring this ship all the way down here for only a few people to get any use of??? So a few fishermen and divers will see it and……that’s it?
$10,000,000
That’s absurd!!!