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Preserving History Without Sacrificing Progress
Operation Liberty Shift is an initiative of the SS United States Preservation Foundation built on a simple principle: preserving America's historic treasures and advancing public goals do not have to be mutually exclusive.
Developed during the ongoing federal review of the SS United States, the initiative demonstrates how existing federal authorities, interagency coordination, and alternative federally controlled vessels may provide a path to achieve artificial reef objectives while preserving one of our nation's most significant historic ships.
Rather than asking Americans to choose between preservation and progress, Operation Liberty Shift seeks to show that responsible alternatives deserve thoughtful consideration before an irreversible decision is carried out.
The Challenge
Current plans would permanently deploy the SS United States as an artificial reef, ending any future opportunity for preservation.
Operation Liberty Shift begins with a simple question.
Can America preserve a National Register-listed historic property and the symbolic flagship of the United States Merchant Marine while still accomplishing the public objectives that artificial reef projects are intended to achieve?
The framework was developed to demonstrate that preservation and progress can coexist. Rather than forcing a choice between preservation and reefing, Operation Liberty Shift explores whether both objectives can be advanced through existing federal authorities, interagency coordination, and the evaluation of alternative federally controlled vessels.
Conceptual illustration depicting the potential future of the SS United States if permanently deployed as an artificial reef.
As America celebrates its 250th anniversary, Okaloosa County’s current plan would permanently remove the historic SS United States from the nation’s historic landscape by sinking her as an artificial reef, thereby ending any future opportunity to preserve this National Register-listed historic property.
Operation Liberty Shift was developed because another path still exists, one that explores preserving the SS United States while evaluating available federally controlled vessels capable of supporting artificial reef objectives.
The choice is not simply between preservation and reefing. It is whether America should fully evaluate a preservation-oriented alternative before an irreversible decision is made.
America’s 250th anniversary should celebrate the symbols that define our national story, not be remembered for the intentional sinking of an American flagship named United States as an artificial reef.
Why an Alternative Vessel?
Operation Liberty Shift explores whether federally controlled vessels that have reached the end of their service lives may provide a more appropriate path for future artificial reef projects while allowing the historic SS United States to be preserved.
The framework does not seek to replace artificial reef programs. Instead, it examines whether other suitable vessels could fulfill those objectives without requiring the permanent loss of a National Register-listed historic property and the symbolic flagship of the United States Merchant Marine.
By evaluating alternative federally controlled vessels, Operation Liberty Shift seeks to preserve the SS United States while still supporting reef objectives, coastal communities, marine habitat, recreation, and responsible public use.
One of eight SL-7 Fast Sealift Ships, representing the type of federally controlled, end-of-service vessel that Operation Liberty Shift explores as a potential alternative for artificial reef use.
The goal is not to choose preservation over progress, but to demonstrate that both can be achieved through thoughtful planning, responsible stewardship, and the careful evaluation of available alternatives.
How Operation Liberty Shift Works
One Mission. Two National Priorities.
Operation Liberty Shift is built on a simple principle:
Historic preservation and artificial reef development do not have to be competing objectives.
Rather than permanently losing the SS United States, the framework explores whether existing federal authorities, interagency coordination, and alternative federally controlled vessels could achieve artificial reef objectives while preserving one of America's most significant historic properties.
Preserve Historic Significance
Protect the SS United States as a National Register-listed historic property for future generations.
Support Reef Objectives
Evaluate federally controlled vessels that are better suited for artificial reef deployment while continuing to support coastal communities, marine habitat goals, and responsible public use.
Coordinate Federal Leadership
Encourage collaboration among federal agencies responsible for historic preservation, maritime policy, environmental compliance, and public stewardship.
Strengthen America's Maritime Legacy
Advance preservation in a way that honors American shipbuilding, the United States Merchant Marine, and America's 250th anniversary.
Operation Liberty Shift demonstrates that preservation-oriented alternatives are available and deserve serious consideration before the SS United States is permanently removed from the nation’s historic landscape. By using existing federal authorities and evaluating available federally controlled vessels, the framework shows that preserving the SS United States and advancing artificial reef objectives are not mutually exclusive.
Built Upon Existing Federal Authorities
Congress Has Recognized the SS United States Before
Operation Liberty Shift is not based on the assumption that Congress has never considered the future of the SS United States. In fact, Congress has previously enacted vessel-specific legislation recognizing the ship's national significance and authorizing a potential federal role in its future.
Rather than introducing an entirely new concept, Operation Liberty Shift builds upon this existing legislative foundation while demonstrating that preservation-oriented alternatives already exist under existing federal authorities.
Public Law 92-296 (1972)
Congress authorized the Secretary of Commerce to acquire the SS United States under specified circumstances, establishing a federal mechanism through which the vessel could be acquired for continued public service.
Public Law 94-536 (1976)
Congress reaffirmed its continuing interest by extending the period during which the federal government could acquire the vessel, recognizing that the SS United States remained a matter of national importance.
Why It Matters Today
These Acts demonstrate that federal involvement in the future of the SS United States is not a new idea. For more than fifty years, Congress has recognized the vessel's national significance and the possibility of a federal role in her preservation or continued public service.
Operation Liberty Shift builds upon that legislative history by demonstrating that preservation-oriented alternatives already exist and deserve serious consideration before an irreversible decision is made.
From Framework to Proposal
Operation Liberty Shift is more than a preservation concept. It is a comprehensive framework that brings together practical proposals designed to preserve the SS United States while advancing legitimate public objectives through existing federal authorities, interagency coordination, legislative action, executive leadership, and long-term adaptive reuse.
Rather than relying on a single solution, Operation Liberty Shift consists of complementary proposals that can work independently or together to create a practical pathway for preserving America's flagship.
Explore the proposals below to learn how each contributes to the broader Operation Liberty Shift initiative.
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America 250 Maritime Heritage Act
A Legislative Proposal
Developed as part of Operation Liberty Shift, the America 250 Maritime Heritage Act proposes a federal pathway to preserve the SS United States while supporting artificial reef objectives through an alternative federally controlled vessel. It builds upon existing federal authorities and Congress’s longstanding recognition of America’s flagship.
Executive Action Framework
Executive Branch Proposal
The Executive Action Framework identifies presidential and executive-branch authorities that could support the preservation of the SS United States through federal leadership, interagency coordination, maritime policy, historic preservation, and the evaluation of an alternative federally controlled vessel for artificial reef use.
Operation Second Watch
Honoring Service Through Living History
Operation Second Watch honors the legacy of America's veterans, merchant mariners, and the generation that built the SS United States.
The initiative envisions the preserved vessel as a place of remembrance, education, veteran engagement, workforce development, and continued service to the nation.
America Afloat
Long-Term Preservation Vision
America Afloat presents the Foundation's vision for transforming the preserved SS United States into a living national destination celebrating American maritime heritage through museums, education, tourism, public programming, and America's 250th anniversary.
Why Operation Liberty Shift Matters
More Than Preserving a Ship
Operation Liberty Shift is about more than the future of a single vessel. It is about preserving an irreplaceable chapter of American history while demonstrating that historic preservation and responsible public policy can work together.
The SS United States represents American engineering, post-World War II innovation, the United States Merchant Marine, and the generations of veterans, shipbuilders, mariners, and Americans whose vision helped define a new era of our nation's history.
Preserving her ensures those stories remain part of our living heritage rather than becoming a chapter remembered only through photographs and written records.
As America celebrates its 250th anniversary, Operation Liberty Shift demonstrates that preserving our national heritage is not an obstacle to progress. It is an opportunity to show that the symbols defining our nation's story remain worthy of preservation when responsible alternatives are available.
The Opportunity Before Us
The opportunity to preserve the SS United States still exists, but it will not exist indefinitely.
Operation Liberty Shift was developed to ensure that preservation-oriented alternatives receive full and fair consideration before an irreversible decision is made. Once the vessel is intentionally sunk as an artificial reef, the opportunity for preservation will be permanently lost.
The question is no longer whether preservation-oriented alternatives exist.
The question is whether America will choose to pursue them while the opportunity remains.
Be Part of the Mission
Help ensure the SS United States receives every opportunity for preservation before an irreversible decision is made.
Operation Liberty Shift is more than a proposal. It is a nationwide effort to preserve one of America’s most significant historic vessels and build public support for preservation-oriented alternatives. Your voice and support help strengthen that mission.
Sign the petition and add your name to the growing call to preserve the SS United States.
Join the Fight
They Built Her. Our Generation Decides Her Future.
“You can’t set her afire, you can’t sink her, and you can’t catch her.”
— William Francis Gibbs
The opportunity to preserve the SS United States still exists. What we choose today will determine whether this extraordinary American achievement remains part of our living history or is needlessly sunk beneath the waves.
