The relocation of the SS United States will result in traffic stops on the bridge

Overture, curtain lights and perhaps some minor traffic delays – the SS United States will leave its old berth in South Philadelphia on November 15 for a year-long voyage to the Florida Panhandle, where it will become an artificial reef and turned into an underwater tourist attraction attraction.

The former ‘Queen of the Seas’, a nod to the time before air travel became the norm, has graced the panoramic landscape of major stores and fast-food restaurants for almost thirty years. During high tide on Nov. 14, tugboats will move the ship from Pier 82 to nearby Pier 80 as it prepares to sail to Mobile, Ala.

The real trip down the Delaware River starts early Friday morning at low tide. The complicated logistical feat is a coordinated effort between the ship’s new owners in Okaloosa County, Florida, 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 pass under the Walt Whitman Bridge, Commodore Barry Bridge and the Delaware Memorial Bridge, according to Okaloosa County.

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

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

As of Thursday, plans had not yet been finalized with DRPA’s technical and operational teams, leaving the exact timing and duration of the traffic disruptions unclear.

Williams said the agency aims to give motorists “plenty of time to plan their trips accordingly.”

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

The entire process is expected to take about a year.

The eventual sinking of the SS United States is not the outcome some of her fiercest proponents wanted, but the outcome they had to settle for after years of leasing dispute and legal intervention forced the hands of the ship’s stewards.

The ship could not remain at its current berth as the relationship deteriorated and the pier operators wanted to turn off the almost 300 meter long ship. No pier could take on such a large tenant on short notice.

Although the ship was long ago stripped, preservationists had hoped that a developer could reimagine the ship and breathe new life into it by turning it into a hotel, but financing never materialized.

The SS United States Conservancy, which owned the ship until October, has said that sinking the ship was not their first choice, but that it better than sending the ship to the scrap heap.

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

People can follow the ship’s journey online via a Okaloosa County website.