Cape May Diver Among First to Explore Sunken SS United States, Finds Historic Ocean Liner Upright on Gulf Floor

Rustin Cassway, who operates a dive vessel out of Cape May, spent 45 minutes exploring the legendary ship just one day after it became the world's largest artificial reef.

CAPE MAY, N.J. — A Cape May-based shipwreck diver has become one of the first people to explore the legendary SS United States in its new underwater home, discovering that the historic ocean liner is resting upright on the floor of the Gulf of Mexico after its dramatic sinking Wednesday night.

Rustin Cassway, who operates the Research Vessel Explorer out of Cape May, was among the first divers to reach the 990-foot ship Thursday, November 12, just hours after it completed its final voyage and was deliberately sunk off the Florida coast.

The vessel, which once held the record for the fastest transatlantic crossing by an ocean liner, is now the centerpiece of a $13.5 million artificial reef project designed to attract divers, support marine life and preserve a piece of American maritime history in an entirely new way.

For Cassway, the opportunity was particularly meaningful because of the ship's long connection to the Delaware River and the Philadelphia region.

"I looked at this beautiful ship every time I crossed the Delaware River," Cassway told Philadelphia's 6abc Action News.

The SS United States had spent nearly three decades docked along Philadelphia's waterfront before being towed down the Delaware River, past Cape May and eventually to Mobile, Alabama, in February 2025.

Now, a Cape May diver has helped document the next chapter of its remarkable history.

First Look at a Legendary Shipwreck

Cassway and fellow diver Will Hinton were among the first to explore the vessel after its sinking.

During the approximately 45-minute dive, Cassway photographed Hinton swimming alongside the ship's stern, where lettering identifying the historic ocean liner remained visible.

The photograph provided one of the first underwater views of the vessel resting on the seafloor.

"It was just epic," Cassway told Action News in an interview Thursday evening.

He also praised the extensive work crews completed to prepare the ship for its transformation into an artificial reef.

"It was very cleaned up. I mean, you could see people really took their time to clean it really nicely," he said.

Perhaps the most important discovery was that the enormous vessel had settled upright, just as engineers and project organizers had intended.

"I would say that it's a really good deal for everybody, and very well executed, the fact that it's standing up straight," Cassway said.

The ship rests approximately 22 nautical miles southwest of Destin-Fort Walton Beach, Florida, in about 180 feet of water.

Its upper structures rise to roughly 50 to 60 feet below the surface, making portions of the wreck accessible to recreational divers, while deeper areas will require more advanced training and equipment.

Cassway expects the ship to become an international diving destination.

A Historic Connection to South Jersey

The SS United States was one of the most recognizable vessels along the Delaware River for nearly 30 years.

Built in Newport News, Virginia, and launched into service in 1952, the ocean liner was designed to showcase American engineering and maritime excellence.

On its maiden voyage, the ship broke the transatlantic speed record, earning the prestigious Blue Riband. Its record-setting performance established it as one of the greatest passenger liners ever built.

The vessel carried celebrities, dignitaries and prominent political figures during its years of service.

But the rise of commercial aviation gradually reduced demand for transatlantic passenger ships, and the SS United States was retired in 1969.

After years of changing ownership and unsuccessful restoration efforts, the ship eventually became a familiar sight along the Philadelphia waterfront, where it had been docked since 1996.

Its departure in February 2025 attracted considerable attention throughout the Delaware Valley.

Spectators gathered along the river to watch the vessel begin its final journey, which took it past the South Jersey coastline before it traveled to Alabama for extensive preparation.

For residents of Cape May County and the surrounding region, the ship's transformation marks the end of a familiar chapter in local maritime history.

A Carefully Planned Sinking

Okaloosa County, Florida, purchased the SS United States in 2024 with plans to create what officials describe as the world's largest artificial reef.

Before the sinking, contractors removed hazardous materials, opened passages through portions of the vessel and prepared its structure for marine life and recreational diving.

The ship's distinctive smokestacks and other historic components were removed for preservation.

On Wednesday, November 11, crews began flooding the vessel with seawater.

The process took longer than originally anticipated, and the ship briefly listed before disappearing beneath the surface around 9 p.m.

Early sonar inspections indicated the vessel had landed upright, a finding subsequently supported by Cassway's underwater observations.

Cassway said he knew the company responsible for the sinking and understood the difficulty of the undertaking.

"I mean, anyone to undertake such an operation is just amazing," he told Action News.

He said the weather provided an opportunity to make the dive Thursday.

"We opened up the weather app this morning, we saw there was a window ... we ran down to the marina," he said.

A New Home for Marine Life

Beyond its appeal to divers, the ship is expected to become an important artificial habitat for marine organisms.

Researchers from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution are studying the wreck to understand how underwater ecosystems develop on large artificial structures.

Scientists plan to monitor how organisms colonize the ship, how its steel structure interacts with the surrounding environment and how fish and other marine species use the new habitat.

The research could provide valuable information about artificial reefs and marine conservation projects elsewhere.

Cassway said he had already observed fish around the newly submerged vessel during his first dive.

"It is a new life, and there's a lot of amazing, amazing life in the Gulf," he told Action News.

The artificial reef project also includes plans to preserve the ship's history through a land-based museum in the Destin-Fort Walton Beach area.

Although the SS United States will never again cross the Atlantic Ocean, its transformation is expected to give generations of divers an opportunity to experience one of America's most celebrated ships.

And among the first to witness that new chapter was a diver whose own maritime adventures begin in Cape May.