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New Yorkers seek to scuttle plans to sink historic ocean liner in Florida
By
Liam Quigley
Published Nov 19, 2024
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Jewel Samad/AFP
By
Liam Quigley
Published Nov 19, 2024
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A Brooklyn concrete magnate is making a last minute effort to bring a crumbling, historic ocean liner from Philadelphia to the Red Hook waterfront.
John Quadrozzi Jr., who runs a concrete empire and owns the Gowanus Bay Terminal, seeks to scuttle plans to haul the S.S. United States to Okaloosa County, Florida, where the carcass of the largest ocean liner ever built in the United States will be sunk and turned into an artificial reef.
Quadrozzi and his allies have a different vision for the rusty 990-foot vessel, which is larger than the Titanic and holds the record for the fastest transatlantic crossing set more than 70 years ago. He envisioned the ship as a “floating ecosystem” revolving around sustainability.
“Coworking space, incubators. Preferably things that are more maritime and environmentally focused…The vessel is just filled with small spaces in it, which would be ideal for that type of use,” Quadrozzi said.
“It gets built up in increments. There are residences. There are commercial spaces. There are industrial spaces.”
Quadrozzi says he’s got a 1,300-foot parking space ready for the ship near the mouth of the Gowanus Canal. His backers include Dan McSweeney, co-founder of a conservancy dedicated to the S.S. United States, who last month pitched a West Harlem community board on turning the ship into a floating affordable housing complex docked on the Hudson River.
“The chances are fading and they have been for a number of years,” said McSweeney, who co-founded the S.S. United States Conservancy in 2004.
The scramble to save the ship comes one month after a federal judge in Philadelphia ruled in favor of the operators of a Philadelphia pier in a long-running dispute with the conservancy. That decision cleared the way to haul the liner to Florida, where officials hope it will become a major tourist attraction for divers. The county bought the ship for $1 million.
The ship was supposed to have already begun its journey south, but inclement weather kept it moored in the City of Brotherly Love. Quadrozzi was doubtful it would survive the trip.
The S.S. United States, christened in 1952, was a national icon.
S.S. United States Conservancy
“Taking a vessel like that magnitude out into the deep sea and around the horn of Florida, the likelihood of it even making it there is questionable,” said Quadrozzi, whose plans to repurpose the S.S. United States date back to at least 2015.
He said he’s focused at the moment on coming up with “a compelling, realistic reason” for Florida officials to abandon their plan.
Florida officials, however, said they hadn’t heard anything from the concrete kingpin.
"I'm not familiar with that gentleman and what he has going on in Brooklyn," said Nick Tomecek, a Okaloosa County spokesperson.
"I do know Okaloosa County has purchased this vessel for the use of the world's largest artificial reef. That decision has been made by our Board of County Commissioners and we're proceeding with that process. And the next step is to move that vessel out of Philadelphia."
The S.S. United States was christened in 1952 and was considered a marvel of nautical engineering and national icon. Celebrity passengers on the ship included Cary Grant, Marilyn Monroe and Salvador Dali. On its maiden voyage it smashed the transatlantic speed record in both directions, reaching an average speed of 36 knots, or just over 41 mph. The trip took three days, 10 hours and 40 minutes.
Lovers of the ship were still floating ideas about how it could be used. Manhattan Historical Association co-founder James Kaplan suggested turning the ship into a casino.
“Whether we’ll succeed is not clear. In fact some people have said it’s a lost cause. But we don’t think so,” Kaplan said.
“We think the idea of bringing this great ship back to New York is sound – better than sinking it in Okaloosa County, Florida,” he said.
This story has been corrected to note the S.S. United States is the largest ocean liner ever built in the United States.
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Liam Quigley
Liam Quigley is a reporter covering parks & sanitation for Gothamist and WNYC. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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