PHILADELPHIA - If you've ever driven through South Philly along Columbus Boulevard, then surely you've laid eyes on the SS United States.
You may have even found yourself wondering any number of things. How long has it been there? How did it get there? Why is it still sitting there?
In 1951, at a cost of over $79 million she left Newport News, Virginia to her port of registry - New York City. The ship's designer William Francis Gibbs, a native of Philadelphia, grew up dreaming of designing the fastest ship in the world.Gibbs saw that dream come true on the ship's maiden voyage to the United Kingdom, at 38 knots or 44mph, breaking the transatlantic speed record in a time just under 3-and-a-half days.