After a prolonged legal battle, a federal judge has ordered the caretakers of SS United States, the 70-year-old ocean liner known as the “Queen of the Seas,” to move the vessel from its pier in South Philadelphia by September 12 or lose possession, writes Edward Helmore for The Guardian.
“You’re not entitled to be at the pier forever,” said the US district judge Anita Brody last week.
However, the giant rotting ship might not be that easy to move. The 1,000-foot long, 47,000-ton heavy vessel has been docked in Philadelphia for three decades and can no longer move under its own propulsion.
The landlord Penn Warehousing increased daily dockage fees for the ship from $850 to $1,700, but SS United States Conservancy, the ship’s caretakers, has refused to acknowledge the increase and continues to pay the previous rent.
The group recently appealed to the sense of patriotism in politicians in the hope of saving the ship from likely being sunk or scrapped.
“Indeed, it would be a global embarrassment if the nation’s flagship were to face destruction during this time of grave geopolitical uncertainty abroad,” wrote the group.
Read more about SS United States and its caretakers’ continued battle to save it in The Guardian.
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