PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The SS United States, a historic ship that still holds the transatlantic speed record set more than 70 years ago, must leave its berth on Philadelphia’s Delaware River by Sept. 12, a federal judge said.
The ruling issued Friday by U.S. District Judge Anita Brody capped a years-long rent dispute between the conservancy that oversees the 1,000-foot ocean liner and its owner, Penn Warehousing. This resulted from an August 2021 decision by Penn Warehousing to double the ship’s daily dockage to $1,700, an increase the conservancy refused to accept.
When the conservancy continued to pay its previous fee, set in 2011, Penn Warehousing terminated the lease in March 2022. After much legal wrangling, Brody held a trial in January, but also encouraged the two sides to reach an agreement in instead of leaving it standing. to her.
The judge ultimately ruled that the conservancy’s failure to pay the new fee did not constitute a breach of contract nor entitle Penn Warehousing to damages. But she also ruled that under Pennsylvania contract law, the docking agreement can be terminated at will with reasonable notice, which Penn Warehousing issued in March 2022.
“The judge’s decision gives us a very limited window to find a new home for the SS United States and raise the resources needed to move the ship and keep it safe,” said Susan Gibbs, president of the trust and granddaughter of the ship’s designer. . The Philadelphia Inquisitor.
In addition to finding a new home, the conservancy must also obtain funds for insurance, tugs, inspections and dock preparations for a move.
“The best hope for everyone involved was that the conservancy could successfully steer the ship,” said Craig Mills, an attorney with Penn Warehousing. “But after decades of decay and delay, it is time to recognize the inevitable and return Pier 82 to productive commercial service.”
Christened in 1952, the SS United States was once considered a beacon of American engineering, also serving as a military ship that could transport thousands of soldiers. On its maiden voyage in 1952, the ship broke the transatlantic speed record in both directions when it reached 36 knots, or just over 66 km/h. according to your website.
On this trip, the ship crossed the Atlantic in three days, 10 hours and 40 minutes, surpassing the time of the RMS Queen Mary by 10 hours. according to NPR. To this day, the SS United States holds the transatlantic speed record for an ocean liner.
She became a reserve ship in 1969 and later passed to several private owners who hoped to rebuild her but ultimately discovered that their plans were either too expensive or poorly timed.
It has been on the Delaware waterfront in South Philadelphia for years.
