GoKawiil
Tech News
The historic ocean liner SS United States was deliberately sunk Wednesday in the Gulf of Mexico off Florida's Panhandle, in a controlled operation that took several hours longer than organizers expected. The $13.5 million project, organized partly by Okaloosa County, aims to create the world's largest artificial reef to attract divers and anglers seeking tuna, marlin and swordfish.
Okaloosa County, Florida plans to sink the retired ocean liner SS United States in the Gulf of Mexico, with the event streamed live starting at 1 p.m. EST and sinking expected around 2 p.m. The ship, which once held the trans-Atlantic speed record, will rest 180 feet underwater after its tanks were removed and holes cut into its decks to let water flood the hull, since explosives could not be used under federal rules.
Coastal Assembly, a startup founded by MIT researchers, installed an artificial reef off a Marriott resort island in the Maldives two years ago to combat beach erosion. The project offered an alternative to sand dredging, a common erosion fix that provides only temporary relief and can damage marine ecosystems. The reef is designed to work with natural coastal processes to help rebuild the shoreline over time.