What This Drone Footage Captured At This Abandoned Philadelphia Ship Is Truly Grim

If you’ve driven through south Philly, chances are you’ve noticed the gigantic ocean liner right sitting in the Delaware River between factories and warehouses. What’s the deal with this giant, abandoned, rusting steam ship? Well, she’s the S.S. United States, and she’s one of the most famous steamships in the world. Her story is fascinating – as is the footage that people have been able to capture of this incredibly unique landmark in Philadelphia.

Flickr / Mihai Bojin

She was built in 1953 for United States Lines and was the largest ocean liner built entirely in the USA! The ship cost $78 million to build and was designed for speed; in fact, she's the current holder of the "Blue Riband," an award given to the fastest passenger liner that crossed the Atlantic Ocean with record-breaking speed, despite having retired from service in 1969. Since 1996, she's been docked at Pier 82 on the Delaware River in Philadelphia.

Check out incredible, high definition drone footage of the ship below, taken by Richard Kephart, to see the SS United States up close. You can almost imagine what she looked like in her heyday as the fastest passenger liner in history.

You can see the fastest ocean liner ever built in person at Pier 82. (Click here for directions). This ship is just one of the incredible pieces of history that belongs in Philadelphia – and it’s no wonder she’s here! After all, our city is known for holding records and being the first to do things – in fact, did you know That Philadelphia Was The First To Do These 11 Things? Learn more about your Philly history by reading on!