The SS United States needs help.
It has been docked in Philadelphia since 1996 and now faces eviction or destruction if no resolution is reached to save the historic ship. A federal judge ruled on Aug. 19 that the vessel can no longer remain docked at a pier in Philadelphia after Sept. 12.
Built in the early days of the Cold War between 1950 and 1951, the SS United States is the largest ocean liner ever wholly constructed in the country. The vessel made history again during its maiden voyage in 1952, becoming the fastest ocean liner ever to cross the Atlantic Ocean . It is a record the ship still holds over 72 years later. The SS United States is a piece of American history and technological innovation. Once a pinnacle of nautical achievement, it has been largely forgotten, left in a pier in Philadelphia to decay and rot.
The ship was also a revered cultural symbol, synonymous with the rich, powerful, luxurious, and famous. It transported some of the most popular celebrities across the Atlantic during the golden age of Hollywood, including John Wayne, Marilyn Monroe, Marlon Brando, and Bob Hope, to name a few. Heads of state and other figures of royalty also traveled on the SS United States, including the king and queen of Greece, the duke and duchess of Windsor, and Princess Grace of Monaco, also known as Hollywood starlet and, incidentally, native Philadelphian Grace Kelly.
It was built when manufacturing was a staple of the American economy, when products were constructed to last. It was to be unlike any other ship that existed at the time. Engineered for record-breaking speed and indestructibility , the SS United States was an unstoppable force and immovable object. It was an enchanting nautical masterpiece.
“You can’t set her on fire, you can’t sink her, and you can’t catch her,” William Francis Gibbs, the ship’s designer, regularly boasted .
The ship is docked at a pier owned by the company Penn Warehousing. In the spring, Penn Warehousing sued the SS United States Conservancy to evict the vessel from its longtime home due to disagreements over rent and docking prices. During a trial earlier this year, a federal judge ruled it could only remain at its pier until Sept. 12. Efforts to preserve the ship have been unsuccessful.
If there is no viable resolution in less than a few weeks, the SS United States faces eviction, being destroyed and sold for scraps or sunk to create a reef system in Florida.
Over the years, several plans have been pitched to restore the ship. Residents recall when the ship was to be repurposed into a hotel, casino, or entertainment venue to bring it back to life. None of the plans were ever successfully implemented. Some blamed government corruption for the inability to bring life back to one of the country’s greatest technological achievements.
“It’s a shame it couldn’t have been renovated and made into a floating casino,” a person born and raised in South Philadelphia told me. “However, that’s Philly for you. It’s so corrupt. Nothing ever gets done.”
The SS United States deserves a better fate than eviction, destruction, or relocation. Philadelphia is filled with historical and cultural landmarks. Just a few minutes north of where the ocean liner is docked are three other historical ships that have been turned into tourist attractions and entertainment venues.
The USS Olympia, a ship used by the U.S. Navy during the Spanish-American War and World War I, has been docked in Philadelphia for decades. It has been transformed into a museum. Directly next to the Olympia is the USS Becuna, a submarine first used in the Pacific theater of World War II. It, too, has become a museum.
In the same vicinity, there is also the Moshulu, a four-masted steel barque built in Europe in 1903. One of its main claims to fame was that it was the ship used in The Godfather Part II to bring a young Vito Corleone from Sicily to New York City in 1901. It can also be seen in the background in a training montage in the movie Rocky when the titular character is running while training for the movie’s climactic championship boxing match. Currently, the Moshulu is a restaurant and dance club.
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So, the city has established a precedent for repurposing old ships for modern use. There is also an appetite in the city’s culture and tourism industry for such boats. There should be no reason that the same thing couldn’t happen with a vessel as legendary as the SS United States.
A symbol of national pride and history shouldn’t fall victim to financial disagreements. The once-famous ocean liner deserves a better fate. The SS United States is an important part of American history, and sometimes, the colors red, white, and blue are more important than the color green.
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