The SS United States, the largest and fastest transatlantic passenger liner ever built in America, has spent the last 27 years moored at Philadephia’s Pier 82 on the Delaware River. The venerable ship is now threatened with eviction.

 Yahoo reports that during the pandemic in 2021, the vessel’s landlords doubled the dockage fees. Now, according to federal legal filings, pier operators would like the ship gone. 

Lawyers for operators Penn Warehousing & Distribution say in legal documents that the historic ship’s owners are scofflaws who’ve refused to pay the new rent, and caused damage to the pier. Penn’s lawyers did not respond to requests for comment.

The nonprofit SS United States Conservancy, the ship’s owner, denies these claims. They argue in court filings that they’re model tenants who’d dutifully paid the same $850 a day they’d agreed upon more than a decade ago — and that their lease with Penn Warehousing had no provisions for sudden and unilateral rent hikes.

Either way, the ship’s future is now in question.