A Brooklyn concrete magnate is making a final push to save a historic ocean liner from being sunk off the coast of Florida and instead bring it to the Red Hook waterfront.
John Quadrozzi Jr., a key figure in Brooklyn's industrial landscape, is working to prevent the historic S.S. United States from being turned into an artificial reef off the coast of Florida, Gothamist reported.
As the owner of Gowanus Bay Terminal and a leader in the concrete industry, he aims to bring the rusty 990-foot vessel, which is larger than the Titanic, to Brooklyn's waterfront, where it could instead be preserved and repurposed as a "floating ecosystem."
"Coworking space, incubators. Preferably things that are more maritime and environmentally focused … The vessel is just filled with small spaces in it, which would be ideal for that type of use," Quadrozzi said.
"It gets built up in increments. There are residences. There are commercial spaces. There are industrial spaces."
Quadrozzi has secured a 1,300-foot space near the Gowanus Canal, ready to accommodate the ship. Among his supporters is Dan McSweeney, co-founder of the S.S. United States Conservancy, who recently proposed to a West Harlem community board the idea of transforming the ship into a floating affordable housing complex along the Hudson River.
"The chances are fading and they have been for a number of years," said McSweeney, who co-founded the S.S. United States Conservancy in 2004.
The effort to save the S.S. United States follows a recent legal ruling in Philadelphia, which allowed plans to move the ship to Florida for a potential dive tourism project. Despite the ship's scheduled departure, bad weather has delayed the journey, leaving Quadrozzi concerned about its chances of making it safely. The ship was purchased by the county for $1 million with hopes of turning it into a major tourist attraction.
"Taking a vessel like that magnitude out into the deep sea and around the horn of Florida, the likelihood of it even making it there is questionable," said Quadrozzi.
He is focused on finding a "compelling, realistic reason" to get Florida officials to change their plans. However, Florida officials say they haven't heard from him.
"I'm not familiar with that gentleman and what he has going on in Brooklyn," said Nick Tomecek, an Okaloosa County spokesperson.
"I do know Okaloosa County has purchased this vessel for the use of the world's largest artificial reef. That decision has been made by our Board of County Commissioners and we're proceeding with that process. And the next step is to move that vessel out of Philadelphia."
The S.S. United States was launched in 1952 and carried famous passengers including Cary Grant, Marilyn Monroe, and Salvador Dali. On its first trip, it broke the transatlantic speed record, traveling at an average speed of 36 knots (over 41 mph) and completing the journey in just under four days.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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