“A New Florida Tourist Destination” This is Something to Think About 11.12.26

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“A New Florida Tourist Destination”

Bill Bunkley’s “This Is Something to Think About

Air Date Thursday, November 12, 2026

Florida has a new tourist destination steeped in U.S. history.

The once fastest ocean liner to cross the Atlantic, the SS United States, is laid to rest.

Yesterday it reached its final destination on the bottom of the Gulf of America, about 22 to 25 nautical miles southwest of Destin and Ft. Walton Beach, where it was sunk for an artificial reef.

Its visits are restricted because you must be a trained scuba diver to access it; it lies 180 ft. down, with its top deck only 50 to 60 ft. below the surface.

In my younger years, I dived the Atlantic, Caribbean, Mexico, and Florida’s springs, including aquifer cave dives. 

Nothing is more exhilarating than descending down and seeing a sunken ship come into view.

I’m excited for the divers who’ll have this new Florida tourism experience.

Bill Bunkley is a 20-year veteran Salem Media talk show host based in Tampa. The Bill Bunkley Show airs on weekdays from 3 to 5 pm across central Florida. Bill is also President of the Florida Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission and the legislative consultant to the Florida Baptist State Convention (Southern Baptist Convention Churches), among other churches and entities. He has served as the legislative consultant to the Florida Baptist State Convention for the last 30 years at the state capitol in Tallahassee. By the Grace of his Lord Jesus, he is a cancer survivor diagnosed in 2018 with AML Leukemia, having successfully undergone a bone marrow transplant that same year. In 2025, he underwent successful open-heart surgery to repair a heart valve. His wife is Toni, his son is Zac, and he attends Idlewild Baptist Church.

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