South Philly Review

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The appearance of the SS United States is both its quintessence and distress signal. Stretching 990 feet, yet caked in rust, the ship epitomizes 20th-century ingenuity and 21st-century neglect. Berthed at Pier 82 on the Delaware River, it has resided in South Philadelphia since 1996 and will need immediate good fortune to avoid becoming scrap.

Since its decommissioning in 1969, the ship has been in aquatic limbo.

The work of Philadelphia native William Francis Gibbs, the ship has been for sale by the Miami-based Norwegian Cruise Line since February 2009. NCL claims that upkeep of the ship costs $800,000 annually. Recently, the line has intensified its search for a buyer, which is likely to be a scrapper. Maritime law mandates that the buyer must be an American entity.

But the SS United States Conservancy — with roughly 4,000 members and supporters — envisions refitting the ship as possibly a conference center, casino, hotel or museum. The group hopes to raise $3 million to buy the ship and to use the next two years to craft a public/private partnership to raise more funds for its refitting.

“Our private sector partners would determine the scope of the renovation,” Susan Gibbs, board president, said.

Within the last decade, advocates for the ship have valiantly sought to sustain its existence.

“I first viewed the ship in 2001,” Gibbs, the granddaughter of the ship’s architect, said. “It was almost like being in a mausoleum, but I knew that beneath her haggard look, she still had importance.”

The Washington, D.C. resident has found many who share her view of the ship as indicative of an “era of imagination.” Through its Save Our Ship campaign, the Conservancy has begun to amass the funds to give its vessel a lifeline. A July 2009 gathering at IKEA, 2206 S. Columbus Blvd., garnered local and regional attention, as did a $300,000 matching grant pledge from H.F. Lenfest, Chairman of the Board of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Area politicians have offered their voices to save the ship, which would remain in Philadelphia or venture to New York once restored. City Council President Anna Verna has endorsed the restoration of the ship as a waterfront attraction via a letter of support, while 1st District Councilman Frank DiCicco issued a December 2009 resolution to ensure the ship’s survival.

Time, however, is dwindling. Gibbs expects news by next week. Though hopeful, she said there is some anxiety.

Historical consultant Steve Ujifusa, who is writing a book on the ship and William Francis Gibbs’ vision, also is pushing to save the SS United States.

“This ship highlights achievements of prior generations. There was a time when even I forgot her contributions. We can’t let her disappear.” Ujifusa said. “The SS United States is the vision of a brilliant man. It would be a tragedy for it to go.”

With its spectral look, the ship dominates the vista of Columbus Boulevard much like it ruled the Atlantic Ocean’s waters from 1952 to ’69. On its maiden trek in July ’52, the ship set the record for fastest westbound crossing of the Atlantic by traveling from Bishop Rock off the Isles of Scilly, United Kingdom to the Lightship Ambrose in New York Harbor in just more than 84 hours. Its speed of roughly 40 miles per hour earned the ship a Blue Riband, a prize for the passenger liner crossing the Atlantic with the highest speed. The record remains intact. Gibbs prays that the ship will, too.

“The ship is fundamentally and structurally sound. It could still be incredibly useful,” Gibbs said.

In its heyday, the ship never lacked use. “The Big U” required 28 months of construction at a cost of $78 million, most of which the U.S. government underwrote. With the Korean War waging, the government hoped to use the Virginia-made craft as a troopship when necessary, but the liner became somewhat of a cruise ship. It covered nearly three million miles and transported more than a million passengers. Many entertainment icons including Milton Berle, Bob Hope, and Marilyn Monroe used its services, as did Presidents Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy.

In its glory days, the ship booked at 90 percent capacity, but increases in air travel, union impasses and rising operating costs signaled its decline. As the largest liner ever designed and constructed in the United States, the ship contains two engine rooms, at least one of which Gibbs hopes to retain.

New Jersey businessman Edward Cantor receives the credit for bringing the ship to South Philadelphia. From ’69 through ’96, the ship had stays in Norfolk, Virginia; Turkey; and Ukraine, the last for asbestos removal. In ’96, Cantor had it towed to Philadelphia. Knowing its precarious status, the SS United States Preservation Society successfully fought for the ship’s placement on the Pennsylvania Register and the National Register of Historic Places in ’99. Shortly after Cantor’s death in 2002, NCL purchased the liner, hoping to add the ship to NCL America, its American-flagged Hawaiian passenger service. The company, however, chose to use three other vessels, leaving the SS United States in deeper trouble.

But Gibbs and Ujifusa have tossed out a life preserver in hopes of finding a buyer who provides the ship a renaissance.