The SS United States is slated to leave next week and probably halt some traffic

DRPA says the likely temporary traffic stops on the Walt Whitman, Commodore Barry, and the Delaware Memorial Bridges are to reduce driver distraction, though they haven’t been finalized.

The sun returns over the SS United States after a storm passed through South Philadelphia headed to New Jersey in 2019. The retired ocean liner has been docked at Pier 82 on the Delaware River, across from the Ikea store, since 1996.Read moreTOM GRALISH / Staff Photographer

by Ximena Conde

Published Nov. 7, 2024, 4:28 p.m. ET

Overture, curtain lights, and maybe some slight traffic delays — the SS United States is scheduled to leave its longtime South Philadelphia berth Nov. 15 in a yearlong journey to the Florida Panhandle where it will be made an artificial reef and turned into an underwater tourist attraction.

The former “Queen of the Seas,” a nod to a time before air travel became the norm, has adorned the area’s panoramic landscape of big box stores and fast food spots for almost 30 years. During high tide Nov. 14 tugboats will move the ship from Pier 82 to nearby Pier 80 as it gets ready to head to Mobile, Ala.

The real move down the Delaware River begins during low tide early Friday morning. The complicated logistical feat is a coordinated effort between the vessel’s new owners in Okaloosa County, Fla., and local, state, and federal agencies, including the Delaware River Port Authority and the U.S. Coast Guard.

To make its way to the Atlantic Ocean, the SS United States will have to go under the Walt Whitman Bridge, Commodore Barry Bridge, and the Delaware Memorial Bridge, according to Okaloosa County.

DRPA spokesperson Mike Williams said traffic will likely have to be temporarily halted on the Walt Whitman and Commodore Barry so the vessel could pass safely underneath.

“This measure will be taken as a safety precaution and to minimize driver distraction,” said Williams.

As of Thursday, plans had not been finalized with DRPA’s engineering and operations teams, so the exact timing and duration of traffic disruptions remained unclear.

Williams said the agency aimed to give motorists “ample time to plan their travel accordingly.”

The move to Alabama is expected to take about two weeks. Once there, the ship will undergo remediation for hazardous materials, including fuel, so as to not damage its future ecosystem in Florida. According to the ship’s new owners, the ship will also need to undergo modification so it can sink upright when it’s set in its final resting place in Florida.

The entire process is expected to take about a year.

The SS United States’ eventual sinking is not the outcome some of its fiercest advocates wanted, but the one they had to settle for after a yearslong rent dispute and judicial intervention forced the hands of the ship’s stewards.

The ship couldn’t stay at its current berth because that relationship soured and pier operators wanted to evict the almost 1,000-foot ship. No piers could take in such a large tenant on short notice.

Though the ship was gutted long ago, preservationists had hoped a developer could reimagine the vessel and give it new life by turning it into a hotel, but the financing never panned out.

The SS United States Conservancy, which held ownership of the ship until October, has said that sinking the ship was not their first choice, but it beats sending the ship to the scrap yard.

Okaloosa County officials said they’re committed to preserving the ship’s history and are working with the conservancy to build a museum.

People will be able to track the ship’s journey online through an Okaloosa County website.