Written by Carlos Camacho Jr.
Before Okaloosa County sinks a piece of America’s soul, here’s what they don’t tell you.
Okaloosa County officials are moving to sink the nationally registered SS United States, the fastest ocean liner in history, the iconic flagship of the U.S. Merchant Marine, and one of the most historically significant ships in U.S. history, as an artificial reef in the Gulf of America. They say everything is fine. They say it’s safe. They say there is no other choice.
None of that is true.
County Opinion: The public supports this project.
What you need to know: At the April 21 commission meeting, Ryan Dunphy, a 19-year-old University of West Florida student from Okaloosa County, took to the podium and said he was “appalled” by the plan, describing it as “naive, ill-conceived, incompetent and, at worst, negligent” and warning that sinking the ship “will hand over dirty, unsafe water to my generation and their generation.” Next. ”His testimony was not political. It was the voice of young Okaloosa County residents demanding honesty from their elected officials.
County opinion: Contamination concerns are overblown.
What you need to know: Consumer advocate Erin Brockovich, who won a battle against Pacific Gas & Electric over hexavalent chromium contamination, singled out the SS U.S. as a serious public health concern. “Clean the ship before you sink it,” Brockovich wrote in a Feb. 18 Facebook post. “Or be stupid, put thousands of people in harm’s way, and spend hundreds of millions of dollars cleaning up your own shit for the next 20 years.” The same toxin she made famous is chemically bound to the ship’s steel and aluminum surfaces in the form of a zinc chromate primer. An estimated 59,334 pounds were present at 4,520 mg/kg, confirmed by two independent EPA-accredited laboratories. This is not a loose coating that can simply be scraped off. This is a Cold War-era formulation that is now severely restricted due to its toxicity, remaining chemically bound to the ship’s base materials in a way that superficial removal methods cannot address. Dr. Todd Osborn of the University of Florida’s Whitney Institute of Marine Biological Sciences warned that the ship’s sinking risks creating a Superfund base in the U.S. Gulf.
County Description: Paint is peeling. The inside of the ship is clean.
What you need to know: At the same April 21 meeting, Commissioner Shelley Cox, who has a bachelor’s degree in chemistry, told concerned residents that the contamination was “not going to be an issue,” while also confirming that the paint had been “removed.” Removal of flaked or accessible paint does not address the large amount of hexavalent chromium left over all interior and exterior surfaces. In restoration science, it is precisely when the danger of hexavalent chromium increases rather than decreases that it interferes with zinc chromate coatings. “Not a problem” is not an EPA standard. This is not a TSCA standard. This is the opinion of the committee members.
County’s position: All required federal reviews have been completed.
What you need to know: They aren’t. And the reason those reviews exist is important. The SS United States was built with Navy funds, designed to carry entire Army divisions to war, and built by workers from 48 states. Okaloosa County may hold that title, but she belongs to all of us. That’s why federal law requires a full Section 106 review under the National Historic Preservation Act before a government agency destroys a property listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
County Opinion: The permit covers this project.
What you need to know: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ proposed Section 106 memorandum of agreement regarding the sinking is in draft form and will not be finalized until all parties involved sign it. The federal government’s review continues. The Corps permit (SAJ-1996-03565) the county relies on predates the acquisition of the ship, never mentions the SS United States’ name, and is written for clean, inert materials. NEPA’s environmental review has not yet been completed. An ocean dumping permit has not been obtained. The county decided it would be easier to ask for forgiveness than to get a permit. That’s not how you treat something that the greatest generation created with their own hands.
What the county says: Divers will love it.
What you need to know: The proposed site is 50 feet deep and 32 miles offshore. Commissioner Paul Mixon has publicly acknowledged that there are no hyperbaric chambers within the survivable range. All diving emergencies at that depth become the responsibility of U.S. Coast Guard search and rescue, and the county’s decision creates a federal burden. To put it objectively, less than 1 percent of recreational divers are certified to dive that deep. The ship, which the county calls a “tourist attraction,” will be virtually inaccessible to everyone.
County Opinion: There is no other choice.
What you need to know: Fully developed alternatives are already being considered. Operation Liberty Shift, a federal replacement framework submitted by the SS American Preservation Foundation to Congress and federal authorities, identifies eight SL-7 fast sealift vessels currently under federal control and slated for retirement. These ships are all-steel, environmentally friendly, about the same size as the SS United States, and are already government property. Okaloosa County could still get the world’s largest artificial reef. The country intends to maintain the historic ship. The Foundation has also submitted a draft of the America 250 Marine Heritage Act to Congress and a draft Executive Order to the White House, both of which would provide a legal federal pathway to preserve the ship as a national marine monument. The county has been notified of these alternatives. they have been ignoring.
County opinion: This is good for Okaloosa County.
What you need to know: Okaloosa County is home to Eglin Air Force Base. It’s located in a Congressional district that prides itself on patriotism, military service, and American heritage. SS United States is individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This ship is the only ship in American history to bear the name “UNITED STATES” on its bow. The name of the country is displayed as is, without any prefix or suffix. In the year of America’s 250th anniversary, when the country is at war, sinking her in the American Gulf is no victory for tourism. It’s a symbol. And not a good one.
This is a generational decision. Save SS America. Then our children and grandchildren will one day stand on that deck and understand what America was able to build. If you let her sink without honesty and accountability, she will become something completely different. It is a pernicious reminder that our generation will forever desecrate its heritage and pollute its waters to promote tourism.
The window for action is about to close.
There is a legal path forward that will give Okaloosa County everything it wants, including a giant artificial reef, tourism attraction, and world records, without destroying an irreplaceable piece of American history or creating an environmental crisis in the Gulf of America. Federal authorities are now in control.
The question is whether the five county commissioners will choose to use the system before it’s too late.
Carlos Camacho Jr. is the Co-Founder and Chief Communications Officer of SS United States Preservation Foundation, Inc., a Florida nonprofit corporation, a federally recognized U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Section 106 Advisory Board, Department of the Army Certification SAJ-1996-03565.
