SS United States burglarized days after agreement to move ship from Philadelphia to Florida for artificial reef
The SS United States may soon have a new home — with plans to be sunk and turned into an artificial reef in Florida — but first, Philadelphia Police say they're investigating a burglary at the historic ship.
Police say the ship, which is docked at Pier 82 in the 2200 block of Christopher Columbus Boulevard in South Philadelphia, was burglarized overnight.
Sources say police know who the burglars are thanks to posts they have uploaded to Instagram and other social media.
According to sources, the pier is wired with video cameras, so the break-in was caught on multiple cameras.
It's unclear how the burglars got onto the pier. It is surrounded by fencing. Sources believe they might have cut a hole in part of the fence or even possibly came in by boat.
Police say they found out about the burglary around noon.
"Today representatives for the SS United States Conservancy reported an unauthorized entry of America's Flagship to the Philadelphia Police Department. We thank the department for its attention to this important matter," the SS United States Conservancy said in a statement. "At this time we will not be providing any additional comment as the department continues its investigation."
Sources say the suspects got onto the boat and then took flashlights and batteries used by the SS United States Conservancy when doing tours.
Police have yet to make any arrests, but sources say there will be an increase in security around the pier to discourage anybody else from getting aboard the boat.
Sources also say since the ship was stripped long ago, there isn't anything of value remaining aboard.
The historic 1950s cruise liner should finally be gone from the port by the end of the month.
It wasn't 24 hours ago that we reported that this historic 1950s cruise liner should finally be gone from the port by the end of the month. Okaloosa County in Florida plans to sink the ship in the Gulf of Mexico, creating what officials claim will be the largest artificial reef for divers and fishers.
The vessel continues to be a tourist attraction in Philadelphia.
Chris and Daniel Cardone, father and son from Middletown, New Jersey, traveled to see the ship. Chris Cardone said that the ship should be "respected."
"I've just been fascinated with the ship's history, as my father said, I'm an ocean liner guy," Daniel Cardone said. "I've been a fan of the ship and ocean liners as well."