PHILADELPHIA — The caretakers of the SS United States, once known as the Queen of the Seas, have sent out an SOS to the highest office in the land as the vessel faces the threat of eviction.
In addition to President Joe Biden, the SS United States Conservancy has sent a plea for help to the U.S. Secretary of the Navy and members of Congress, describing how the ship is “under the imminent threat of eviction and destruction,” appealing to their patriotism.
“Indeed, it would be a global embarrassment if the nation’s Flagship were to face destruction during this time of grave geopolitical uncertainty abroad,” read the three-page letter.
It’s the latest effort to find the ship a champion to save it from the scrapyard.
For decades, redevelopers and what would eventually become the conservancy have struggled to repurpose the 1,000-foot vessel that still holds the transatlantic speed record it broke in 1952. Proposals such as making the ship into a cruise line or time-share condos fell by the wayside over the years as financing failed to materialize. Still, the conservancy has always argued the ship is a slice of American history and should be repurposed, saving the ship from destruction on more than one occasion through fundraising efforts.
Yet the conservancy has clashed with its landlord Penn Warehousing in recent years, with the dispute playing out in court in January.
The conservancy claims its daily dockage fee was unjustly doubled to $1,700 in 2021, despite its berthing agreement having stayed the same since 1996. Penn Warehousing’s legal team argued the berthing agreement was left broad at the time because it was unclear when the ship would leave Pier 82, adding the conservancy had turned into a bad tenant, causing damage to the pier and owing more than $730,000 in back rent.
Penn Warehousing is asking for what they say is owed to them — the conservancy has continued to pay an $850 daily dockage fee— and that the ship be evicted.
By the end of the trial, U.S. District Judge Anita B. Brody cautioned both sides against letting her decide the fate of the vessel, encouraging them to settle. In the meantime, Brody has requested additional documentation before making her decision.
Instead, the conservancy told Biden and the Pennsylvania congressional delegation that it was willing to donate the ship to the state, the National Park Service, or another entity in exchange for a new home. According to the conservancy, the federal and state governments control various piers in the region where the SS United States could go, though they didn’t specify which.
The conservancy added federal agencies could also help it secure short-term government financing, economic development grants, historic preservation funds, and permitting.
The letter is just the latest effort to find a white knight for the rusting ship. Before the conservancy went to court it tried to make a similar plea to the governors of New York, Florida, and Pennsylvania, touting what it calls a viable redevelopment plan that would create thousands of jobs and boost tourism for whatever state takes on the struggling tenant.
“Our cause is bigger than party politics,” conservancy president Susan Gibbs said in a statement. “It’s about demonstrating to the world that our great nation can still unite behind saving one of its most iconic symbols. We’re not looking for a bailout or big check. We need a location for the ship as we advance a viable private sector redevelopment plan.”
According to the conservancy, they’ve made initial contact with some state and federal officials but have not heard back from the White House.
