NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — The SS United States may have already passed by Hampton Roads on one of its final voyages as it heads to become the world's largest artificial reef.
Built in Newport News, the ocean liner has deep connections to the area.
"If there haven't been already some tears about what's going on," said Stanton Daywalt, a Virginia Beach native and member of the SS United States Conservancy.
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Daywalt said it's bittersweet to see the almost 75-year-old ocean liner make its way out of port and on its way to Mobile, Alabama.
There, the ship is slated to transform at the Modern American Recycling Services shipyard, which will prepare the vessel over the next 10 to 12 months to become an artificial reef.
In September, Okaloosa County, Florida, proposed to purchase the SS United States from its dock in Philadelphia.
However, it was constructed in Hampton Roads between 1950 and 1952, emerging as the largest ocean liner ever built in the United States.
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Daywalt noted that there was an effort to bring the ocean liner back to Hampton Roads for dismantling, where it was originally assembled, but scheduling conflicts prevented that from happening.
For many who worked on the ship, this moment marks an emotional goodbye.
"She certainly holds a special place in the hearts of mariners and shipbuilders in the Hampton Roads area," he added.
Daywalt also mentioned ongoing efforts to document the ocean liner and preserve parts of it for a future museum.
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"Part of the agreement was to have a land-based museum," Daywalt said. "Several items that are remaining on the ship, such as one of the five-bladed propellers and one or perhaps both of the smokestacks, are scheduled to come off in Mobile."
Daywalt said those items, along with other collected artifacts, will be documented and cataloged to aid in the creation of the museum.
"Between the option of either scrapping the ship and her being gone completely or being turned into an artificial reef for others to continue to enjoy beneath the waves instead of on top of the waves, is certainly the better outcome in my opinion," Daywalt said.
Daywalt has written a book titled SS United States: An Operational Guide to America's Flagship, which documents the construction and operation of the ocean liner over the years.
