Okaloosa County is one step closer to sinking the SS United States off the coast of Destin after a procedural vote passed the Okaloosa Board of County Commissioners on Tuesday.
Despite the Army Corps of Engineers’ finding that sinking the National Register-listed vessel will have an “adverse effect,” a Memorandum of Agreement was approved on April 21 at the Okaloosa County Board of County Commissioners Meeting. The agreement permits the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Florida State Historic Preservation Office, and Okaloosa County to proceed under Federal law.
The Commissioners’ votes allowed the SS United States artificial reef project to clear one of the last hurdles between the Okaloosa Tourism Department’s vision and reality – the Army Corps of Engineers’ Section 106 Review. The review, required by Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, allows critique and public comment on proposals that involve the federal government and historic land, objects, buildings, or other cultural heritage places.
“The 15-day comment period is technically over as it started the day the Army Corps sent out the notice, which was April 7. The MOA was approved, as you know, by the Okaloosa County Board of County Commissioners [Tuesday, April 21],” said Nick Tomecek, Okaloosa County’s Public Information Officer. “So that is a great next step in the deployment of the vessel. We still need to submit our report to the EPA for final approval, and then we will take the next steps in the planning process for deployment.”
RELATED: The SS United States final voyage to the bottom of the Gulf.
Before sinking takes place, Okaloosa County has agreed to 3D scans and photos, as well as documentation of the parts removed. The County or its representatives will also survey the ocean floor. Once in the water, the SSUS will be studied, mapped, and preserved.
After sinking, the County will create a 3D dive model. Think of it as Google Street View for shipwrecks. The agreement also includes an effort to maintain the vessel’s listing on the National Register of Historic Places. Keeping the ship on the register may be tricky, however, because the SSUS is no longer a functioning ship and is physically altered – changes that may make it lose that designation going forward. To maintain the ship’s registration, the County will have to submit new documentation demonstrating that the vessel still has historical significance, even as a shipwreck.
The agreement also requires a two-year scientific study of the wreck by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, along with detailed mapping and ongoing monitoring to track how the vessel changes and functions as an artificial reef.
The SSUS Artificial Reef Project is expected to serve as a marine habitat and a major boost to tourism for the Destin-Fort Walton Beach area.
Okaloosa County officials say they will back the project with up to $1 million to create exhibits, attractions, and educational experiences for visitors, while preserving artifacts and bringing the story of the SS United States to the public.
Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A., has come to the table agreeing to a sponsorship with Okaloosa County tied directly into the reefing project and related tourism/fisheries programs.
With the conclusion of the Section 106 Review, the SS United States’ final voyage is about to begin. If the EPA review is approved, planning for the ship’s trip to her final resting place will begin.
Once the deployment date is decided, it will be posted here.
Pro Communi Bono
St. Francis De Sales, Ora Pro Nobis!
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