The effort to save the historic steamship SS United States continues. The New York Coalition to Save the SS United States has written to Okaloosa County, Florida, and President Donald Trump, who said in his speech to Congress on March 2nd that he would “create a new Office of Shipbuilding in the White House,” to request that sinking of the ship as an artificial reef off the coast of Florida be reconsidered.
Okaloosa County has so far rejected the request and President Trump has not responded. On February 19, after months of delay, the ship was moved by tow to a shipyard in Mobile, Alabama to prepare for its sinking; it arrived there on March 2nd.
The voyage from Philadelphia to Mobile marked the first time in 28 years that the Ship was on the open sea.
The SS United States Conservancy and Okaloosa County officials hailed the voyage, but more that 8,000 people have signed the Coalition’s petition protesting the sinking in favor of its historic preservation.
The Coalition filed a lawsuit on March 2, the day the ship reached Mobile, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida to enjoin preparations for the sinking. The County had until Friday, March 28th to respond.
Kaplan told the New York Almanack that “a significant uphill fight” remains and pointed to the $10 million estimated cost to prepare and sink the historic ship. Kapalan said he hopes to find a new permanent home at Gowanus Bay Terminal, on historic Columbia Street in Red Hook, Brooklyn. Their plan includes dredging to accommodate the vessel.
They point to a similar project undertaken with the SS Rotterdam in The Netherlands.
On March 20th, at Tenafly High School the directors of the Coalition spoke about the efforts underway to preserve the ship to an audience and return it to New York City. You can watch a video of that presentation here.
A Go Fund Me has been established to support the Coalition’s efforts.
New York Almanack has been reporting on the efforts to save the ship.
Photo of the SS United States in brighter days provided by the New York Coalition to Save the SS United States.
Source link
