The Last Fastest Ocean Liner Allegedly Owes $800,000 In Back Rent

The SS United States is facing eviction from its mooring at Pier 82 in Philadelphia in a lawsuit filed by Penn Warehousing, the pier’s landlord. The ocean liner has been rusting away in the Delaware River since 1996 but has a storied past. In 1952, it broke the once-highly sought record for the fastest transatlantic crossing, the last passenger ship to do so. The SS United States Conservancy, a non-profit attempting to restore the ship, admits that relocation will be necessary but is still aiming to preserve the vessel.

The potential eviction stems from rent increases that could be against the terms of Pier 82’s rental agreement. Warren Jones, a Conservancy board member, told NPR that Penn Warehousing claims that the SS United States owes up to $800,000 back rent. The Conservancy claims that the daily mooring cost has jumped from $850 to $1,700 over the past few years. Jones said, “The rental agreement that they wrote and presented to us had no provision in it for escalating the rent and it even had no time limit on the lease as well.”