Yesterday we posted that the Independence Seaport Museum doesn’t have the money to support the upkeep of the USS Olympia nor does it have the money to dredge the channel to tow her away.  On the other side of the river the USS New Jersey Battleship Museum is also having financial troubles. Given the current troubles centered around the Delaware River it almost seems a shame to report that the SS United States, which has been sitting of at Pier 84 in South Philadelphia for the last fourteen years,  is now being inspected by scrap dealers.  Then again, she is a rusting, gutted shell.  Perhaps it is time to let the old lady go.    As reported in Maritime Matters:

SS UNITED STATES For Scrap?

An urgent message was sent out today to the SS United States Conservancy alerting members that the fabled liner, currently laid up at Philadelphia, is being inspected by scrap merchants.

“Dear SS United States Conservancy Members and Supporters:

The SS United States Conservancy has learned that America’s national flagship, the SS United States, may soon be destroyed. The ship’s current owners, Genting Hong Kong (formerly Star Cruises Limited), through its subsidiary, Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), are currently collecting bids from scrappers.

The ship’s current owners listed the vessel for sale in February, 2009. While NCL graciously offered the Conservancy first right of refusal on the vessel’s sale, the Conservancy has not been in a financial position to purchase the ship outright. However, the Conservancy has been working diligently to lay the groundwork for a public-private partnership to save and sustain the ship for generations to come.