World's fastest ocean liner is sunk to break another record: largest artificial reef

The SS United States broke trans-Atlantic speed records. On Wednesday, it was sunk off the Florida coast and will become a diving destination and home for marine life.

<img src='https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/1594x844+0+0/resize/1594x844!/quality/85/format/webp/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Faf%2F61%2F8fa3ea894189b27cb82be201214a%2Fscreenshot-2026-11-11-140451.png' alt='The SS United States, without its smokestacks, at port in Mobile, Ala., before its sinking on Wednesday.'/><p>The SS United States broke trans-Atlantic speed records. On Wednesday, it was sunk off the Florida coast and will become a diving destination and home for marine life.</p><p>(Image credit: Destin-Fort Walton Beach)</p><img src='https://media.npr.org/include/images/tracking/npr-rss-pixel.png?story=nx-s1-6030853' />