The SS United States, left the port of Philadelphia behind a tugboat last Wednesday for the first time in almost 30 years. Okaloosa County bought the ocean liner last year for $10 million with plans to sink it for an artificial reef.

After months of multiple delays, the SS United States finally left its longtime home of Philadelphia just before 1 p.m. ET Wednesday. The storied ocean liner’s next stop is Mobile, Alabama, where it will be prepared for its final mission – to become an artificial reef off the coast of the Florida Panhandle.

Almost three decades later and with more than $40 million spent on rent, insurance, and feasibility studies, the SS United States — the dilapidated 990-foot ship that adorned or blemished the Delaware River waterfront, depending on whom you ask — has finally left Philadelphia.

Historic Liner The SS United States Embarks On Its Final Voyage. The historic ocean liner the SS United States embarked on its final journey from Philadelphia to the Gulf of Mexico to be transformed into the world's largest artificial reef.