Aug 19, 2024 - News

SS United States loses bid to delay deadline to leave Philadelphia

Isaac Avilucea

The exterior of the SS Unites States. — Paint peels from the SS United States. Photo: Hannah Yoon/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The SS United States must leave its South Philly dock next month, a federal judge affirmed Monday.

Why it matters: The decision keeps pressure on the ship's stewards, SS United States Conservancy, which sought to delay the Sept. 12 deadline to find a new home for the historic ocean liner.

Driving the news: Okaloosa County, Florida, hopes to hash out a potential agreement with the conservancy in the coming weeks, county board spokesperson Nick Tomecek tells Axios.

Okaloosa — one of two Florida counties considering buying the 1,000-foot liner — wants to sink the ship for an artificial reef.

Zoom in: The dock's landlord, Penn Warehousing, is open to temporarily renting out the pier to Okaloosa County if it acquires the ship and needs more time to arrange for it to be relocated, attorney Craig Mills tells Axios.

Penn Warehousing has threatened to charge the conservancy $3 million if the ship isn't moved by Sept. 12.
The conservancy didn't immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.

Go deeper: Inside the fight to save the SS United States

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SS United States loses bid to delay deadline to leave Philadelphia

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