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6ABC Philadelphia and 3CBS Philadelphia (screenshots)
The world’s largest artificial reef is coming to Florida’s Gulf Coast.
At 100 feet longer then the Titanic, the “Big U” was the largest passenger ship ever built in America. Dating to the early 1950s, the luxury liner was designed to convert to wartime purposes if required. After breaking the trans-Atlantic speed record on her maiden voyage, she went on to make 800 crossings carrying the rich and famous, including four U.S. presidents, until being withdrawn from service in 1969.
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Now she’s leaving drydock near Philadelphia on one final voyage. The peeling hulk of the ship will be sunk in 180 feet of water off the coast of the Florida Panhandle. A museum is also being planned nearby.
According to The New York Times, “Alex Fogg, natural resources chief for Destin-Fort Walton Beach, said that as an artificial reef, the ship will be a habitat for sea creatures like snappers, urchins and crabs. He predicted that it would become a major destination for divers from all over the world.”
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