Rollin' on a River: South Philadelphia Losing a Legend

We don't like being the bearer of bad news here at Phillyist, but that is the role we find ourselves playing this morning. For any South Philly residents or Ikea/Wal-Mart/Best Buy/Super Fresh/Famous Dave's patrons who have taken a gander at the SS United States (pictured at right by Phillyist Framed 2010 winner, Craig Billow) and marveled at its grandeur and the fact that it graced your riverfront (yes, there is a river behind Ikea...who knew?), run back to Columbus Boulevard and take a photo, because the ship may not be there much longer.

According to PlanPhilly (by way of the SS United States Conservancy), Norweigan Cruise Lines is collecting bids for the purchase of America's flagship by scrappers this month. "The Big U," as it is affectionately known, holds the record for the fastest trans-Atlantic voyage by an ocean liner. Granted, not many passenger ocean liners were making trans-Atlantic voyages in the late 20th century once those things called airplanes got off the ground (zing!), but its construction was also symbolic of this country's prominence in North American trade and at the forefront of innovation. It never saw battle time like some of its counterparts, and has remained docked alone just below Snyder Avenue on the Delaware River since 1996, its foreboding figure part of the riverfront vista from miles away.

PlanPhilly reported a year ago that NCL put the ship up for sale, but it has not found a buyer interested in keeping the ship intact. The conservancy has been working to secure enough funding to preserve and reuse the magnificent vessel. This has been quite the uphill battle in these economic times, and though NCL has said it would give the conservancy first right of refusal on a sale, the group doesn't appear to have the funds needed to stop the breakers from calling the ship's name. Simply maintaining the ship in its current dormant state is costly (to the tune of $800,000 per year), so it appears that as long as NCL is able to get a decent price, it will sell to the highest bidder. The Big U's scrapping price is estimated at $2 million.

While NCL accepts bids, the conservancy has launched the "Save Our Ship" campaign as its new fundraising effort (check it out here to learn more). With Walter Cronkite as one of its board members, there's no counting the conservancy out yet, but this has the looks of a Mike Tyson fight, circa 1985.

In the meantime, hop on board and take one final breath of the SS United States. We'll all eat meatballs and lounge on modular furniture as the historic vessel is dismantled, with only bright yellow-colored tissues to blot out our tears. And then, once the damage is done, we'll all bolt to our cars, trying to beat the traffic onto I-95.