The historic, aging ocean liner that a Florida county plans to turn into the world’s largest artificial reef has completed the first leg of its final voyage. The SS United States, a 1,000-foot (305-meter) vessel that shattered the trans-Atlantic speed record on its maiden voyage in 1952,

The SS United States, once the fastest ocean liner to ever cross the Atlantic, will serve as a new home for marine life.

We’ve sank dredges and ships and barges and tugboats and all kind of stuff” — David Walter, owner of Walter Marine in Orange Beach, is the go-to-guy. He has done it more than two dozen times from Texas to Florida.