PHILADELPHIA — The conservancy that oversees a storied but aging ocean liner and its landlord have resolved a years-old rent dispute that will clear the way for a Florida county to turn the historic ship into the world’s largest artificial reef .
A federal judge had ruled in June that the SS United States Conservancy had until Sept. 12 to present plans to move the ship, a 1,000-foot ocean liner that still holds the transatlantic speed record it set more than 70 years ago. That deadline, though, came and went after the conservancy filed a lawsuit that accused Penn Warehousing of sabotaging its efforts to sell the vessel.
The conservancy had reached a tentative agreement earlier this month with Okaloosa County on Florida’s coastal Panhandle, a deal that was contingent upon the rent dispute being settled through court-imposed mediation. The deal resolving that dispute was announced Friday.
Conservancy and county officials gathered Saturday at the Philadelphia pier where the ship is berthed for a small transfer of title ceremony, although the deal with Okaloosa County still needs final approval from a federal judge, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.