SS United States relocation delayed as ship still sits in Philly: Here's why

It's midway through December and the SS United States is still sitting at Pier 82 in South Philly, where it has been for more than two and a half decades. 

"She definitely holds a very special place in American History," said Stanton Daywalt. 

Daywalt has been following America’s flagship since he was a kid, even co-authoring a book called SS United States: An Operational Guide to America’s Flagship.

"It goes through how she was navigated, how all those operations were done to ensure smooth sailing for passengers and crew," said Daywalt explaining the book.

For the last few years, the ships journey has been everything but smooth.

After years of trying to restore it or find a new home, the boat was sold in October to Okaloosa County, Florida, with the goal of towing it to the coast of Florida, then sinking it, to become the world's largest artificial reef.

"She’ll still be with us in spirit as well as physically under the water. I’ve come to terms with the fact that reefing out of the two options we were left with is the best possible outcome," said Daywalt. 

The plan was for the ship to leave the pier in November, but it was delayed.

Related

SS United States: Tentative departure dates for ship announced; traffic snarls possible

As tugboats maneuver the SS United States safely out of the Delaware River, the Walt Whitman, the Commodore Barry and the Delaware Memorial Bridge will all close.

A letter from the Coast Guard said they conducted an analysis on the ship stating:

"The results indicate that the vessel may not have suitable stability for the intended transit and presents a hazardous condition to the port and waterway".

The Okaloosa County spokesperson said, "This is a large project and requires multiple steps to ensure a safe move. Okaloosa County is working in collaboration with federal, state and local agencies to ensure a safe move of the ship that includes requests from the Coast Guard. Okaloosa County has been working in close collaboration with the Coast Guard to ensure that the ship is moved safely. We are taking the necessary steps to comply with the Coast Guard’s requests. See the attached Captain of the Port Order. This is a process that any owner of the vessel would have had to go through to move it off of the pier. We are confident in the ship’s ability to make it to Mobile. We are committed to make sure that when the vessel is moved, we do so in the safest way possible".

While the ship remains in South Philly, the Florida County is paying a daily rent of $3,400 and if the boat isn’t moved by tonight they will have to pay a late fee of $100,000. 

The Okaloosa County expects to pay it Thursday.

Once again, the question remains, when will the ship move?

"The amendment we are in the process of signing says birthing agreement will terminate at January 31st unless further extended," said Craig Mills, the attorney of Penn Warehousing who oversees the pier.

According to the Coast Guard, "currently, there is no set departure date or timeline for the vessel to move. There is a Captain of the Port (COTP) order on the vessel which is a tool available to Coast Guard captain of the port providing them with operational controls over an emergent situation posing safety, security, or environmental risks to their area of responsibility. This COTP order allows for testing to be conducted to make sure the vessel can withstand a trip and to test its seaworthiness. We are still awaiting results from the testing that is occurring, so we do not currently have an update on that end".

Based on that new agreement, the ship could be here into the next year and even past the end of January if need be. 

NewsPhiladelphia