Posted on 02/10/2026 9:57:42 AM PST by Ezekiel
Commemorative coins made from aluminum salvaged from the SS United States are being produced at Northwest Florida State College through a collaboration with Okaloosa County's Natural Resources team ahead of the ship's artificial reef deployment.
Natural Resources Coordinator Ryan Ashley with a finished SSUS Commemorative Coin
(Photo courtesy of Kevin Dukes/Destin-Fort Walton Beach)
The coins, machined on campus in Niceville, feature the Destin-Fort Walton Beach logo on one side with the words “Home of the SSUS” and “Made from SSUS Aluminum.” The reverse side depicts the vessel alongside the phrases “World’s Largest Artificial Reef” and “990 feet long.” Each coin is individually serialized.
Assistant Professor Tyler Fothergill is leading production in the college’s CNC shop, where machines are programmed to etch the designs into aluminum blanks cut directly from the ship’s salvaged metal using a hole saw.
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The Destin-Fort Walton Beach design team developed the coin graphics and provided the files to Fothergill, who translated them into machine-ready programs. The design process took roughly two weeks, Ashley said, though getting the CNC machines calibrated for consistent production took several months of trial and error, beginning around September.
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Natural Resources Coordinator Ryan Ashley with a finished SSUS Commemorative Coin
(Photo courtesy of Kevin Dukes/Destin-Fort Walton Beach)
(Excerpt) Read more at getthecoast.com ...
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That sure looks cheesey. Why don’t they just mash up some beer/cola cans and do the same thing. Is this what you learn at college now?
Perhaps they are giving it the old college try.
They should have gotten an artist not a design firm logo maker to do a beautiful design, It would improve the marketability.
That sure looks cheesey.
The design process took roughly two weeks,
I suggest pennies.
Our minds think opposite. I was thinking they should make some commemorative beer cans.
Are they radioactive?
Steam ships don’t have radioactive materials.
Like a boardwalk coin.
Bkmk
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