The End Arrives for America's Sole Surviving Ocean Liner

A storied ocean liner that has spent nearly three decades rusting at port in Philadelphia set off on its final journey Wednesday. The SS United States' destination? The sea floor, ultimately. The ship is traveling under tugboat to the coast of the Florida Panhandle, where it will be sunk and eventually get a second life as the world's biggest artificial reef. What you need to know about the ship's history—and its future:

• By the numbers: Constructed in the early 1950s, the United States was the largest passenger ship ever made in America. It measures 100 feet longer than the Titanic—nearly the height of the Chrysler Building, per CNN—and traversed the Atlantic 800 times. It set a speed record when it departed on its maiden voyage in 1952, traveling east across the Atlantic in three days, 10 hours, and 40 minutes. It still holds the record for an ocean liner.
• Its next life: The New York Times reports it will detour to Mobile, Alabama, where hazardous materials including any fuel onboard will be removed. It will then be sunk in waters 180 feet deep. The AP reports the entire process is expected to take at least 18 months. A museum about the ship will be constructed ashore in Okaloosa County, Florida. Officials hope the ship will eventually draw both marine life and divers.
• Those who wanted it preserved: The clock started ticking last June when a federal court evicted the ship from the Philadelphia pier where it resided. (Read more on the wrangling over rent that led to the eviction here.) The SS United States Conservancy, the nonprofit that purchased the ship in 2011 and has overseen it since, tried to find a few home for it, but were unable to find a berthing location that was large and deep enough for it. It ultimately sold the ship to Okaloosa County for $10 million. The AP reports the ship was supposed to be moved last November, but the plan was put on hold due to US Coast Guard concerns about the ship's stability.

• Standout quote: "Today, the nation's sole surviving ocean liner will glide down the Delaware River to begin the next chapter in her uniquely American story," said conservancy head Susan Gibbs, granddaughter of the ship' designer, William Francis Gibbs. "The ship will forever symbolize our nation's strength, innovation, and resilience. We wish her 'fair winds and following seas' on her historic journey to her new home."

(More SS United States stories.)