A piece of U.S. history is docked on the Gulf Coast. Here’s how to see it before it’s gone
Growing up in New York City, Paula Hughbanks thought her uncle was a star.
Meeting celebrities, traveling around the world — she thought her uncle Anthony Lupia had the life as he worked as a social director on board the SS United States, the premier oceanliner in the 1950s and 60s.
On Friday, standing on the balcony of the Perdido Queen, Hughbanks — who now lives in Mobile — finally saw the ship for the first time, despite growing up in the same city where it sailed from.
“I’m ecstatic I finally got to see it,” she said. “Of all the waterways, it’s here in Mobile, Alabama.”
Earlier this month, the SS United States — now a shell long ago stripped of its patriotic interiors — was transported to Mobile after 30 years decaying in a Philadelphia harbor.
The ship is docked on private property and will remain there for 6 months to a year to undergo work to strip the ship of any remaining harmful materials or chemicals. Okaloosa County, Florida, purchased the ship with plans to sink it as the “world’s largest” artificial reef off the coast of Destin-Ft. Walton Beach.
The county says the ship will provide a tourism opportunity — drawing divers and fishermen — as well as provide a natural habitat for wildlife such as amberjack, mackerel and tuna. Another ship decorated with a giant metal cockroach was sunk as an artificial reef off the Mississippi Coast last year.
Okaloosa County also plans to open a museum in Fort Walton Beach dedicated to the ship in conjunction with the SS United States Conservancy, an organization that previously owned the ship.
In the meantime, though, the ship is turning out to be a prime tourism destination for Mobile.
The Perdido Queen, a riverboat tour company that offers cruises and tours of various types along the Mobile River, has taken advantage of the attention the ship has received lately.
According to Jon Robitaille, who serves as a tour guide on the boat, visitors have come from as far as Maine and Colorado to see the SS United States in Mobile.
“This lady from Foley called me and said that she had heard that the SS United States was coming to Mobile,” said Perdido Queen captain Willie Jones. “She wanted to see it from the water, she had been on it in 1963 and that she felt like other people would want to see it, too.”
Since then, the Perdido Queen has been offering guided tours that circle the ship on the water six days a week: at 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Tuesdays; at 3 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays; at 11 a.m., 1p.m., and 3 p.m. on Saturdays; and 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. on Sundays. Tickets can be purchased online for $35 for adults and $33 for seniors and children. The boat, which boasts bathrooms and a cash bar, leaves from behind the Convention Center.
About the SS United States
The SS United States, also known as America’s Flagship, was built in 1950-1951 at Newport News Shipbuilding — now a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries, of which Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula is also a division of.
It was designed with U.S. Navy standards in mind — allowing for it to be converted into a ship for military troops if need be and for it to become the fastest oceanliner on record.
On July 3, 1952, the ship — which could accommodate 2,000 passengers and 1,000 crew — embarked on its maiden voyage, crossing the Atlantic Ocean in under four days — a record that still has not been beaten by another oceanliner.
The interiors, designed to be fireproof, were decorated with bright colors, patriotic art and mid-century modern furniture. It boasted a swimming pool on a lower deck.
According to Robitaille, it was the first oceanliner with microwaves and transported the Mona Lisa for its only exhibit in the United States. Four presidents — Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy and Clinton — all traveled on the ship, as well as countless celebrities.
The ship was abruptly withdrawn from service in 1969 and, since then, passed through various owners with different plans — all of them falling through. It was at one point sent to Turkey and Ukraine to be stripped and brought to Philadelphia where it remained until Okaloosa County purchased it.
Other ways to see the ship
The Perdido Queen’s tour is not the only way to see the ship.
The ship is on private property and there are no tours on the ship itself, but Historic Blakely State Park is also offering boat tours to the public.
The dates and times for the 2-hour-long tour are available on their website. The tours on April 9, 10, and 16 will be guided by National Maritime Museum historian John Sledge. All other tours will be guided by Historic Blakely State Park staff. The tour is $36 for adults and $26 for kids.
For those seeking a free option, a view of the ship can be seen from land at the end of Charleston Street before the train tracks.
This story was originally published April 1, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
