Once the most powerful and sleek vessel in the world, now the SS United States has set out on its last voyage above the waves to become the largest artificial reef in the world underneath them.

Witnesses said a gathered crowd at Fox Point State Park in Wilmington, Delaware, held their breath as the rusted berth passed slowly beneath a series of three bridges, guided by a tugboat and tucked securely in a circling school of police and Coast Guard boats.

“It was truly one of those, ‘I’ll believe it when I see it moments’,” said Chris Pontani of Claymont, Delaware who joined the crowd on land to see the iconic ship begin its final journey. “It has been sitting, rotting in the mud in South Philly. I literally didn’t think they’d be able to get it out of the berth in one piece, let alone, would it be seaworthy.”

While crowds may no longer be able to board the historic vessel, they can virtually take the journey with the SS United States.

Track the ship’s movements down the Eastern seaboard HERE.

The ship left Philadelphia on Wednesday, Feb. 19, and officials expect the journey to Mobile to take about two weeks. The ship cannot move under its own power and must be tugged the entire way.

The SS United States is the longest and largest ocean liner ever built in America – longer than a skyscraper and bigger than the Titanic. It is the unbeaten speed champion and remains the fastest vessel to cross the Atlantic. It has carried presidents, royalty and even ferried the Mona Lisa.

In 1969 the ship was unexpectedly withdrawn from service and kept on standby with the U.S. Navy as a reserve ship. Nine years later the navy listed the ship for sale, and it passed through a series of owners, eventually landing in the care of the SS United States Conservancy in 2009.

RELATED ARTICLE:  SS United States To Become Worlds Largest Artificial Reef

The nonprofit attempted to raise funds to restore the ship and had plans to eventually bring it back to life as a stationary, mixed-use destination that they hoped would include a hotel, museum or entertainment complex.

But 2021, 28 years after being berthed at Pier 82 behind an Ikea in South Philadelphia, the rent for the seaside parking spot was raised. Court battles ensued and last summer a federal judge ruled that the ship needed to be moved.

With a small window of time and an enormous amount of money to raise, the decision was made that the SS United States would finally be put to rest.

Okaloosa County in Florida’s Panhandle region purchased the ship for $1 million with plans to create the world’s largest artificial reef from the historical craft.

The ship’s first stop on the Gulf Coast will be Mobile where more than 200 workers will prepare it for retirement. There, crews will remove hazardous materials, non-metal pieces and fuel still aboard the ship.

While officials have not released the ship’s final resting place, it is expected to be roughly 20 nautical miles south of the coastline.