The shipping news
IT'S HARD to ascribe a checkered past to something that hasn't moved in 16 years, but the SS United States, former high-speed queen of trans-Atlantic travel that has sat at Pier 82 since 1996, certainly qualifies.
IT'S HARD to ascribe a checkered past to something that hasn't moved in 16 years, but the SS United States, former high-speed queen of trans-Atlantic travel that has sat at Pier 82 since 1996, certainly qualifies.
The massive ship was towed to Philadelphia by developer Edward Cantor with the hopes of transforming it into a tourist attraction, casino or hotel.
Cantor died in 2003, and Norwegian Cruise Lines bought the liner with the idea of refitting it as a cruise ship. Those plans never materialized either, and now the NCL is entertaining bids to have the thing scrapped.
Like all real estate, its asking price has dropped steeply, from $20 million to $1.5 million. A preservationist group is trying to raise money to save the ship.
We have agitated over the years about this rusting hulk looming over Columbus Boulevard. But over the years, we've also been awed at its faded beauty; like it or not, it's become part of the city's diverse landscape, a striking symbol of glory days long past - all the more striking because it has continued to endure.
Now that the ship's disappearance seems imminent, we'll say it again: We're going to miss the old girl. *