After months of multiple delays, the SS United States finally left its longtime home of Philadelphia just before 1 p.m. ET Wednesday. The storied ocean liner’s next stop is Mobile, Alabama, where it will be prepared for its final mission – to become an artificial reef off the coast of the Florida Panhandle.

Officials in Okaloosa County on Florida’s coastal Panhandle hope it will become a barnacle-encrusted standout among the county’s more than 500 artificial reefs and a signature diving attraction that could generate millions of dollars annually in local tourism spending for scuba shops,

After quite a few delays, the SS United States is on its way to its new home off the coast of Florida, stopping in Mobile, Alabama first for repair work.

It left the waterfront on Wednesday, and it will be towed to Mobile, Alabama, for planned prep work before officials eventually sink it off Florida’s Gulf Coast.

The SS United States, once the fastest ocean liner to cross the Atlantic, is heading to its final destination as the world’s largest artificial reef.

The SS United States, the fastest ocean liner to cross the Atlantic, will meet its final resting place in the Gulf off the coast of Florida.

The SS United States set the transatlantic speed record on its maiden voyage in 1952, a record it still holds today.

USS United States is in the Gulf on the way to becoming the world's largest artificial reef. Will you be able to see it from the Lee County shore?

MOBILE, Alabama (WPVI) -- The SS United States is still on the move. We are continuing to track the massive ship as it makes its voyage to Mobile, Alabama. The historic vessel left the Delaware River in South Philadelphia last week, where it had been docked for nearly 30 years.

On a dreary day in Gainesville, Florida’s clash with No. 19 Alabama was moved to the Perry Indoor Tennis Facility — but that didn’t deter any of the excitement that was yet to come.