Future Plans for SS United States Ship to be Announced

by KYW's John Ostapkovich

This could be a landmark week for a South Philly landmark that you can see but not touch.

The people trying to save the SS United States, docked along the South Philadelphia waterfront, are in a race against time with the scrapyard.  Dan McSweeney, executive director of the SS United States Conservancy, has other ideas.  He and the group will update them Thursday evening in an anniversary bash for the ship:

"Probably the most exciting part of this is that we're going to light the stacks.  We're going to shed a light on the two funnels of the ship, as well as the radar mast and the bridge and the running lights so I think that's going to be a pretty dramatic sight as dusk approaches."

The event beginning at 7pm in the Ikea parking lot across the street from the ships' berth marks 58 years since America's flagship made its maiden voyage.