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The rapidly developing events over recent days have made it difficult for supporters and followers of SS United States to sort out the latest updates affecting the future of America’s Flagship. We have now reached key milestones which we want to share with our valued supporters.
The outcome of the court-ordered mediation between the SS United States Conservancy and pier operator Penn Warehousing is a settlement agreement that effectively ends the more than two years of litigation brought by Penn Warehousing. The confidential settlement, which now is awaiting final disposition from the court, resulted in limited financial liability for the Conservancy. (As you may remember, the judge at trial rejected Penn Warehousing’s claims for doubled rent.) The settlement, however, doesn’t change the court’s original ruling that the SS United States must vacate her pier in short order.
The court’s order left us a very short window to find an alternative location for the ship. In fact, we’d begun our search well before Penn Warehousing sued the Conservancy in early 2022. But after years of reaching out to private pier owners, government agencies, elected officials and public authorities at the local, state and federal levels, we were unable to find a location both suitable and available within the court-mandated timeline.
Along the way, we’ve vetted various entities who presented proposals to purchase and relocate the ship. But none of these recent prospects satisfied minimum due diligence or proved viable within our current timing and logistical constraints. As you know, we worked with a prominent New York developer for over five years on an exciting plan for the ship’s commercial activation. Late last year, we revealed details of this design and program that showed how America’s Flagship could have been transformed into a privately funded, world-class, mixed-use destination in New York. But the difficulty of securing the planned pier location and unwillingness of government entities to prioritize the project prevented the plan from being launched.
Faced with no options to save the SS United States in her current state and under a binding court order, we were left with the painful but unavoidable choice between scrapping America’s Flagship or converting her into an artificial reef in tandem with a land-based museum. We chose the latter as the most dignified path.
We understand that this decision is deeply challenging and emotional for our community of supporters. It certainly was for our Board of Directors, many of whom have been working for more than a decade to redevelop the ship. While this is not the outcome we envisioned, we are grateful that the ship will have a future.
Throughout this difficult period, we have continued to raise funds, making it clear to donors that we did not know the nature or amount of the expenses we would be facing around any corner. In addition to raising resources for a potential ship move, we continued to cover the costs of pier rental, insurance, and other significant carrying costs of the vessel. We knew our original mission of honoring the legacy of the magnificent ship, and our museum and archival collections, would continue but that they could take any number of forms.
Okaloosa County, Florida, has allocated more than $10 million to reactivate the SS United States as the world’s largest artificial reef in tandem with the Conservancy’s land-based museum and visitor center. Tens of thousands of people visiting annually from around the world will experience her and learn her story both on land and as a vibrant habitat for marine life. Once deployed by Okaloosa County, more people will be able to visit and learn about the ship in the space of one year than have had that opportunity since she left seagoing service more than a half century ago.
This unique experience will be enhanced by a state-of-the-art museum that will blend the latest technology with our expansive collections of original artifacts and artwork from the ship. These plans for the land-based SS United States visitor center include at least one of her iconic funnels, radar mast, and detailed recreations of spaces using original materials. We are particularly excited about inviting our supporters to contribute ideas for the museum’s creation and its revolving exhibits. More announcements will follow in the weeks and months ahead.
On Saturday, October 12, the Conservancy will formally transfer title to the ship to Okaloosa County, in accordance with our contract and in compliance with the court ruling. The vessel will soon depart Philadelphia for Norfolk, where she’ll undergo extensive preparations for reefing over many months. We’ll update everyone on both her departure down the Delaware River and her arrival in Norfolk. Together with Okaloosa County, we are exploring options for celebrating the Big U while she is in Norfolk.
As we begin this process, we do so with a sincere appreciation for our global community of supporters. We’ve received a vast number of leads that we pursued about temporary pier locations, numerous introductions to local, state, and federal leaders, and sincere understanding about how painful our decisions were as we assessed all the possibilities for our cherished ship.
Together we will see the extraordinary story of America’s Flagship, and her inspiring spirit, continue to endure — above and below the waterline.
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