After several months of delays, famed Cold War carrier vessel the S.S. United States is set to begin its journey down to Mobile to become the world’s largest artificial reef

The ship is scheduled to depart its current dock in Philadelphia at 6:00 a.m. tomorrow.

“After completing comprehensive due diligence involving extensive testing and reporting to local, state, and federal agencies, Okaloosa County has now received final approval from the U.S. Coast Guard to begin moving the SS United States from Pier 82 in South Philadelphia to a docking area in Mobile, Alabama,” reads a release from the county.

“While still subject to last-minute changes or cancellations due to weather or other factors, operations to move America’s Flagship will begin on Thursday, February 6th, with the ship being moved laterally from Pier 82 to the adjacent Pier 80.”

“She will then be towed down the Delaware River on Saturday, February 8th,” the release continues.

County officials previously predicted that it would take roughly two weeks for tugboats to tow the ship down to Mobile.

Once there, contractors will begin the process of ensuring it is safe for ocean life and poking holes in its hull to make it land upright at the bottom of the Gulf.

This process is predicted to take a year to complete after which the ship will take its final journey to a location about 20 miles south of the Florida Panhandle region in the Destin-Fort Walton Beach area, according to the commission.

The ship was previously scheduled to depart for Mobile on Nov. 14 but was delayed due to weather concerns then delayed further after the Coast Guard requested further research to ensure it was safe to move, according to county public information officer Nick Tomecek.

While Florida officials are excited to welcome the liner to its new home, some have spoken out against the move.

John Quadrozzi Jr., concrete magnate and owner of the Gowanus Bay Terminal in Brooklyn, previously told Gothamist that he would like to turn the vessel into a sustainable “floating ecosystem.”

And in an open letter to AL.com, Craig Lambert from Phoenix, Ariz. previously said he was “utterly devastated and enraged” by the ship’s fate.

“While millions have been spent to restore and refurbish other historic ships, such as the USS Missouri and USS New Jersey, the SS United States has been left to languish, forgotten, and neglected,” Lambert wrote.

“The very thought of this Majestic Lady being reduced to an artificial reef is a travesty, an insult to her legacy and the countless souls who have sailed upon her.”

Originally designed as a top-secret, convertible troop carrier during the Cold War in 1951, the S.S. United States has transported presidents, famous actors, heads of state, tourists, members of the armed forces, and immigrants before it was retired in 1969.

Notable passengers included four U.S. Presidents (Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, John Kennedy, and a young Bill Clinton), Judy Garland, Marilyn Monroe, and John Wayne.

To track its journey, visit SSUS – Destin FWB.