August 4, 2025
The forward funnel of the SS United States was removed from the ship at Mobile, Ala., Aug. 4, for future use at the planned SS United States Museum and Visitor Experience museum in Okaloosa County, Fla. WALA Fox10 video image.
The forward funnel of the ocean liner SS United States was hoisted off Aug. 4 in Mobile, Ala., one more step in plans for an onshore museum memorializing the historic ship to be deployed as an artificial reef coast of Florida’s Destin-Fort Walton Beach.
The United States’ twin funnels, six stories high and sloping backward to convey the record-breaking 50 mph-plus speeds achieved by the vessel in the 1950s, will be centerpieces of the future “SS United States Museum and Visitor Experience” in Okaloosa County, Fla.
The non-profit SS United States Conservancy engaged Thinc Design, New York, “one of the world’s premier museum and exhibit design firms, to initiate the museum planning and development process,” according to a statement by the conservancy.
The forward funnel of the ocean liner SS United States was hoisted off Aug. 4 in Mobile, Ala., one more step in plans for an onshore museum memorializing the historic ship to be deployed as an artificial reef coast of Florida’s Destin-Fort Walton Beach.
The United States’ twin funnels, six stories high and sloping backward to convey the record-breaking speeds achieved by the vessel in the 1950s, will be centerpieces of the future “SS United States Museum and Visitor Experience” in Okaloosa County, Fla.
The non-profit SS United States Conservancy engaged Thinc Design, New York, “one of the world’s premier museum and exhibit design firms, to initiate the museum planning and development process,” according to a statement by the conservancy.
“Thinc is internationally recognized for creating powerful, story-driven environments that merge physical artifacts with immersive media and theatrical effects,” the groupo says. “Their acclaimed projects include the National September 11 Memorial Museum; the Empire State Building Observatory; Robert Ballard’s Challenge of the Deep, focusing on RMS Titanic exploration; and aquariums in Seattle, Miami, and San Francisco, including the new Ocean Pavilion on Seattle’s waterfront.”
Thinc is partnering with LMN Architects and engineering firm Buro Happold to guide initial planning of the museum. Gibbs & Cox, the firm that designed the SS United States, and now a subsidiary of Leidos, is “lending technical input as well to bring the ship to life for new generations of visitors,” according to the conservancy.
The SS United States Museum and Visitor Experience is planned to be built in Okaloosa County, Fla., featuring the ship’s iconic funnels as a key design element. Rendering courtesy of Thinc | LMN Architects | Buro Happold.
“We are deeply committed to celebrating the enduring legacy of America’s Flagship, and we have assembled an extraordinary team to help us realize our vision,” said Susan Gibbs, the conservancy’s president and granddaughter of SS United States’ designer William Francis Gibbs. “By incorporating iconic components from the historic ocean liner into an architecturally stunning land-based museum, the SS United States will continue to excite and inspire future generations.”
The 992’x101’ SS United States shattered speed records for trans-Atlantic passenger vessels during its 1952 maiden voyage, averaging 36 knots.
The SS United States languished at a Philadelphia pier for years, while the SS United States Conservancy pursued possibilities for restoring and re-using the ship as a museum and mixed-use waterfront attraction.
Those efforts ended with the conservancy and pier owners in court over back rent. Late last winter, after an epic 12-day, 1,800-mile tow by the tug Vinik No. 6 along the East Coast, the SS United States arrived March 3 in Mobile, Ala., for a year’s work of preparation before being sunk as an artificial reef.
Preparations have been underway get the ship ready for emplacing about 20 miles offshore of Destin-Fort Walton Beach, for what Okaloosa County tourism officials are already billing as the world’s largest recreational diving and fishing reef.
Once the pride of the U.S. maritime fleet, the 992’x101’ SS United States shattered speed records for trans-Atlantic passenger vessels during its 1952 maiden voyage, averaging 36 knots. On shore, the museum will tell the ship’s stories from then until its decommissioning in the late 1960s.
Tom Hennes, founder of Thinc Design, said, “From the moment we first set foot aboard the SS United States, we felt a passion for helping tell her remarkable story. In close collaboration with the Conservancy, we look forward to designing dynamic, interactive exhibits that create an unforgettable experience for all visitors.”
The museum will hold thousands of curated artifacts and ship components. The biggest include will include one of the ship’s massive, five-bladed propellers, and its then-revolutionary radar mast, which combined ground-breaking radar technology with a traditional crow’s nest, and original cocktail bars that will be retrieved and restored.
The SS United States Museum and Visitor Experience is planned to be built in Okaloosa County, Fla., featuring the ship’s iconic funnels as a key design element. Rendering courtesy of Thinc | LMN Architects | Buro Happold.