CBS News: Progress made to ensure SS United States can leave Philadelphia waters safely, Coast Guard says
CBS News - Progress made to ensure SS United States can leave Philadelphia waters safely, Coast Guard says
By Joe Holden
Updated on: January 15, 2025 / 11:30 AM EST / CBS Philadelphia
David Boone of Cherry Hill has spent his life on the Delaware River. This retired tugboat captain has had a special connection to the SS United States.
"When she came up the river, myself and a few friends were on the only pleasure boat out there, taking pictures of the ship's arrival, which was really spectacular," Boone said, remembering the August 1996 event.
Later that year, Boone was responsible for maneuvering the ship, with a dozen tug boats, under the Walt Whitman Bridge.
"It was really interesting because they weren't sure whether it was going to fit under the bridge," he said. "They made all the adjustments and predictions and everything, but it never dawned on anybody will it fit."
They made it and towed the ship to Pier 82 in South Philadelphia, where it's been docked for 29 years.
/snip
America's Flagship.