By DAVID FISCHER

A historic ocean liner will become the world’s largest artificial reef after it’s sunk off Florida’s Gulf Coast early next year.

Okaloosa County officials announced Tuesday that they expect to sink the SS United States in early 2026 about 22 nautical miles (41 kilometers) southwest of Destin and 32 nautical miles (59 kilometers) southeast of Pensacola.

The nearly 1,000-foot (305-meter) vessel , which shattered the trans-Atlantic speed record on its maiden voyage in 1952, has spent most of this year at the Port of Mobile in Alabama, being scoured to remove chemicals, wiring, plastic and glass.

Regional Partnership

The ship’s final location was selected as part of an agreement with Pensacola tourism officials , who are contributing $1.5 million to the project, and

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