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.

Almost three decades later and with more than $40 million spent on rent, insurance, and feasibility studies, the SS United States — the dilapidated 990-foot ship that adorned or blemished the Delaware River waterfront, depending on whom you ask — has finally left Philadelphia.

The ship will now leave Philly on Wednesday, not Tuesday, to begin its journey of becoming the world's largest artificial reef.

Historic Liner The SS United States Embarks On Its Final Voyage. The historic ocean liner the SS United States embarked on its final journey from Philadelphia to the Gulf of Mexico to be transformed into the world's largest artificial reef.