OKALOOSA COUNTY, Fla. — The planned sinking of the historic SS United States off the Florida Panhandle is now facing an emergency federal court challenge.
A preservation group is asking a judge to stop the ship from leaving Mobile next week, claiming toxic paint aboard the ship could contaminate Gulf waters and threaten marine life.
The group argues federal regulators failed to adequately study those risks before approving the project.
The historic ocean liner is scheduled to leave Mobile on Monday and be sunk in the Gulf, 23 miles southwest of Destin, next Thursday.
The ship has been in Mobile for the last 20 months getting cleaned and prepared to become the world’s largest artificial reef.
The Army Corps of Engineers has concluded the project would not cause significant environmental harm.
The legal challenge does not mean the sinking has been stopped.
That would need an order from the court.
Source: weartv.com
