Dauphin Island is a haven for birdwatchers, where rare migratory species draw photographers eager for the perfect shot.

But on Monday morning, the island’s skies won’t be the only spectacle worth capturing.

Just after sunrise, an icon of American maritime history—the SS United States—will make a rare and final voyage past Alabama’s coast.

Once the fastest ocean liner in the world, the nearly 1,000-foot-long vessel is headed for its last resting place off Florida.

For early risers with cameras in hand, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime chance to frame a legend.

The SS United States is expected to arrive to the sea buoy near Dauphin Island sometime around 6 a.m. Monday, according to the Port of Mobile.

From there, it will take six-to-seven hours to move the massive vessel through the Mobile ship channel before it settles into its new home.

The ship, nearly 1,000-feet long with six-story high smokestacks, will be impossible to miss.

“I’m sure there is a lot of interest in it, and I imagine there will be people who will be making the trip here,” said Dauphin Island Mayor Jeff Collier, who recommends the best images of the vessel on the island’s east end.

“It will be quite prominent,” he said. “Looking at the pictures I’ve seen of the ship, it will be quite visible.”

Lundi Gras arrival

The vessel’s arrival in Mobile will coincide with Lundi Gras, the day before Fat Tuesday in a city that refers to itself as the “Birthplace of Mardi Gras.”

The holiday is Mobile’s biggest, often drawing 150,000 or more visitors to the city’s downtown area for a day of parades, picnics, and revelry.

There are no plans for a Carnival-like welcoming of the SS United States as it slowly moves toward Modern American Recycling & Repair Services Inc., within an industrial waterfront area south of downtown Mobile.

Its arrival on Monday is ahead of initial projections.

Late last week, officials anticipated its arrival occurring on Wednesday, at the earliest.

But the tugboat operators are moving the boat quickly through the Gulf waters after circling Key West, Fla., last week.

A strong weather system is expected to pass through Mobile on Tuesday.

Prepare for sinking

The ship will remain at MARRS for at least six months while undergoing cleaning and preparation for its relocation to Okaloosa County, Fla.

According to Okaloosa County, the ship will have holes strategically cut around it to ensure the vessel lands upright during submersion.

Passages will also be opened allowing for marine life to thrive in and around the ship.

The county purchased the vessel as part of a $10.1 million project to acquire it from the United States Conservancy and have it transported from Philadelphia to Mobile, and then to Destin-Fort Walton Beach.

It will be submerged about 20 miles offshore and turned into an artificial reef.

The Florida coastal county is also planning to build a land-based museum and immersive exhibit detailing the ship’s rich history.

The ship’s journey has generated widespread media interest due to its rich history and repeated efforts to repurpose it as a museum or a tourist attraction. Built in the early 1950s, the SS United States is the largest ocean liner to be entirely constructed in the U.S., and is the fastest of its kind to cross the Atlantic Ocean in either direction.

The ship transported celebrities and immigrants between 1952 and 1969.

Four U.S. presidents and some of Hollywood’s biggest stars have sailed aboard the SS United States.

During its prime, the SS United States hosted luminaries such as Walt Disney, Marlon Brando, Marilyn Monroe, Walter Cronkite, Judy Garland, Bob Hope, and John Wayne.

Last month, the New York Coalition to Save the SS United States Inc. called on President Donald Trump to issue an executive order preventing the ship’s sinking.

A representative with the organization told AL.com in an email on Thursday that they are continuing to build support for their efforts through political, legal, and financial means. They said they “have no interest to call it quits until the ship is rightfully saved or at the bottom of the Gulf.”