The SS United States is an ocean liner that is often referred to as “Americas Flagship”. She broke the world speed record for a trans-Atlantic crossing in 1952 on her maiden voyage to England, a record which stands to this day.  For that feat she won the Blue Riband, an award which went to the fastest liner.  The ship was the pride of America because she bested speed records held for decades by such European liners as the Queen Mary, the Queen Elizabeth and the Normandie.  Those ships were world renowned in a time when sailing was the only way for travelers to cross the Atlantic to and from Europe.

The ship incorporated many revolutionary engineering features.  During its operational lifetime it carried over one million passengers on 800 Atlantic crossings travelling nearly 3 million nautical miles.  Its list of passengers included many celebrities and political figures who enjoyed the ship's cuisine and luxury. Despite its popularity and capabilities, she could not compete with air travel which was much faster and more convenient.  She was pulled out of service in 1969.

The final phase in the life of the S. S. United States will be occurring in April of this year.  At that time the ship which was designed to be unsinkable will be sunk off of the coast of Florida to become the world’s largest artificial reef.