# Where is the S.S. United States? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 3, 2022, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-s-s-united-states/958834 "2022-02-03T04:16:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![RadioWave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/91b2a8/32.png) [@RadioWave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RadioWave)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2022, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-s-s-united-states/958834/1 "2022-02-03T04:16:29Z")
Ever since I built a model of the ocean liner S.S. United States way back in olden days, I’ve been in love with the ship. It and the S.S. Normandie are simply magnificent pieces of machinery harking back to a golden age of design and elegance. Though it’s fallen on sad times, I’ve often gone out on Google Earth and looked at the satellite image of it sitting, rusting away in Pier 82 of the Philadelphia waterfront. Now however, the imagery shows naught [but an empty pier](https://goo.gl/maps/ACxyrdRe5KFYyfch6). Wiki seems to think it’s still there and the SSUS foundation doesn’t mention anything about it being moved… Has it finally been scrapped or perhaps moved elsewhere? The street view still shows it but that’s from 2019. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2022, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-s-s-united-states/958834/2 "2022-02-03T04:21:08Z")
[This video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuBKewWTag0) would indicate it was still in Philadelphia 6 months ago. ---
**Author:** ![Tilt-A-Whirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e79b87/32.png) [@Tilt-A-Whirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tilt-A-Whirl)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2022, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-s-s-united-states/958834/3 "2022-02-03T04:32:14Z")
At first I thought maybe the location was just incorrect, the map was showing the wrong pier, but that’s not the case, the IKEA across the street shows that. I’ve eaten those rancid little meatballs in their cafe while looking out the window at the ship. It’s very strange. My only guess is that for some reason Google Maps digitally removed it. The ship has been sitting there so long that it’s not reasonable to think that the satellite image predates it being there. Here’s a different satellite map that shows it still there. I’m going with the digital removal, but I can’t imagine why. > **[USA map satellite // North America](https://satellites.pro/USA_map#39.917957,-75.136820,18)** > > 🌎 map of USA, satellite view. Real picture of USA regions, roads, cities, streets and buildings - with labels, ruler, search, locating, places sharing, weather conditions etc. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2022, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-s-s-united-states/958834/4 "2022-02-03T04:49:59Z")
> [@RadioWave](#): > > Now however, the imagery shows naught [but an empty pier](https://goo.gl/maps/ACxyrdRe5KFYyfch6). When I followed your link, I saw a big ship sitting there, not an empty pier. Here’s a screenshot of what I got: [![](https://i.imgur.com/M0MVmmC.jpg) ](https://i.imgur.com/M0MVmmC.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![RadioWave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/91b2a8/32.png) [@RadioWave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RadioWave)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2022, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-s-s-united-states/958834/5 "2022-02-03T05:05:33Z")
Interesting. On my phone there’s a big old ship as you say but on every other computer. It’s not there. I’m not sure what to say about that but Im alternating between Schrodinger’s ocean liner and the Philadelphia Experiment. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Tilt-A-Whirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e79b87/32.png) [@Tilt-A-Whirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tilt-A-Whirl)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2022, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-s-s-united-states/958834/6 "2022-02-03T05:51:31Z")
Oh, this is weird. Using Firefox, if I open the link in a regular window, there’s no ship. If I open it in a private window, there is a ship. I’m pretty sure the two versions are different shots, based on cars and stuff. More importantly, if you look at Kenobi’s screenshot of the ship, you can see surprisingly prominent ropes tying the ship to the dock. In the no-ship version, you can see the stubs of those ropes at the dock, it looks like the ship was indeed digitally disappeared. But why? Also, if you look at the semi trucks and the dock parking lot in the no ship version, there’s a lot of very clumsy “photoshopping”, trucks half erased. ---
**Author:** ![Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/half_man_half_wit/32/21766_2.png) [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Half_Man_Half_Wit)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2022, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-s-s-united-states/958834/7 "2022-02-03T06:11:40Z")
I think it must’ve indeed been removed. Using Street View, you can still tour the ship, so when you click on the little person, it shows blue lines right in the ‘water’. Also, [here’s a picture](https://www.google.com/maps/place/SS+United+States/@39.9184269,-75.1366547,3a,75y,90t/data=!3m8!1e2!3m6!1sAF1QipPVa7gthVvnzleze7v8ObOhL-Sjbg9Q_Ag-XEVK!2e10!3e12!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipPVa7gthVvnzleze7v8ObOhL-Sjbg9Q_Ag-XEVK%3Dw529-h298-k-no!7i4032!8i2268!4m7!3m6!1s0x89c6c8b47911b367:0xa92d2991c6626ec0!8m2!3d39.9184269!4d-75.1366547!14m1!1BCgIgARICGAI?hl=en#) of the ship sitting at the pier that’s dated from 17 days ago. I think that some of the ‘photoshopping’ may be explained by the pictures being digital composites, and stitched together. But I don’t think that this could account for a whole ship vanishing? Initially, I thought it might’ve been that the pictures are compared to the map images, and anything not on the map is judged to be a ‘transient’ feature that’s not part of the landscape, and hence, removed, but in fact, if you switch to the map layer, it’s [still there](https://www.google.com/maps/place/SS+United+States/@39.9183574,-75.1376177,18.58z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x89c6c8b47911b367:0xa92d2991c6626ec0!8m2!3d39.9184269!4d-75.1366547?hl=en) (but it disappears if you choose the ‘terrain’-layer, so maybe it’s removed as ‘not part of the terrain’?). ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2022, 9:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-s-s-united-states/958834/8 "2022-02-03T09:38:44Z")
Using the windows executable google earth, I can make her disappear and reapper using the “3d buildings” on off button. It certainly looks like a 3d model issue. Seems they accidentally did a “cut and paste” instead of “copy and paste” , equivalent , from the ordinary photo to building. or got it out of the way so the 3d building looked better ? ---
**Author:** ![RadioWave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/91b2a8/32.png) [@RadioWave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RadioWave)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2022, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-s-s-united-states/958834/9 "2022-02-03T16:07:08Z")
Wow. I just checked and the Queen Mary is present and accounted for but the [U.S.S. Iowa](https://goo.gl/maps/2tmVYqkkDL6a7FTU8) has been digitally scuttled. The Missouri and New Jersey remain. ETA: OK, I think I missed the forest for the trees. It looks like almost all the ships in the harbor have been removed. You can see their wakes but not the actual ships. Same for cars on the freeways so it does indeed look like this is some Google algorithm to remove non-permanent objects ---
**Author:** ![md-2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@md-2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md-2000)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2022, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-s-s-united-states/958834/10 "2022-02-03T20:20:48Z")
Is this perhaps related to the “where are all the airplanes?” thread? ---
**Author:** ![RadioWave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/91b2a8/32.png) [@RadioWave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RadioWave)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2022, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-s-s-united-states/958834/11 "2022-02-03T20:34:45Z")
I wouldn’t think so. Airplanes are by definition transitory and it’s probably pretty easy to choose a picture of a particular area that doesn’t have a plane over it at some time. However, these ships have been at the same spot for 25 years so the image must be actively digitally altered to remove the boat. This is even more obvious when looking at the L.A. harbor as there are plenty of ships’ wakes visible and only the ships themselves have been removed. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2022, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-s-s-united-states/958834/12 "2022-02-03T20:51:15Z")
> [@RadioWave](#): > > Now however, the imagery shows naught [but an empty pier](https://goo.gl/maps/ACxyrdRe5KFYyfch6) Perhaps I’m misunderstanding what you’re trying to show us, but that’s not an empty pier – you can clearly see the ship in that image. You can even make out the mooring lines at the bow. ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2022, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-s-s-united-states/958834/13 "2022-02-03T21:06:23Z")
But on my Mac using Safari, I see the empty pier. No ship at all, just mooring lines digitally cut at the spot where the ship was photoshopped out. [![](https://i.imgur.com/jMW9ll8.jpg) ](https://i.imgur.com/jMW9ll8.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2022, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-s-s-united-states/958834/14 "2022-02-03T21:08:00Z")
…and in 3d, also gone… [![](https://i.imgur.com/yGY8qGW.jpg) ](https://i.imgur.com/yGY8qGW.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2022, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-s-s-united-states/958834/15 "2022-02-03T21:10:33Z")
Last reply to my own reply, I promise. If I am logged into the Google environment, the ship is not there. If I look when _not_ logged in, the ship appears. Super weird. ---
**Author:** ![Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marvin_the_martian/32/2898_2.png) [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marvin_the_Martian)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2022, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-s-s-united-states/958834/16 "2022-02-03T21:11:25Z")
The answer is obvious - cloaking device. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2022, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-s-s-united-states/958834/17 "2022-02-03T21:13:25Z")
It’s that damn Philadelphia Experiment all over again. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2022, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-s-s-united-states/958834/18 "2022-02-03T21:14:57Z")
How weird… you can roam around the deck of the _SS United States_ using Google Street View. ---
**Author:** ![Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marvin_the_martian/32/2898_2.png) [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marvin_the_Martian)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2022, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-s-s-united-states/958834/19 "2022-02-03T21:20:05Z")
Don’t be walking around on deck virtually when they turn on the cloaking device. Results are unpredictable… ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2022, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-s-s-united-states/958834/20 "2022-02-03T21:29:37Z")
> [@Pork\_Rind](#): > > If I am logged into the Google environment, the ship is not there. If I look when _not_ logged in, the ship appears. Super weird. I’m not logged in, and yes, it’s very clearly there, via the OP’s own link. So the ship is both there and not there at the same time, depending on how you try to see it. And I’ll bet that on board that ship is Schrodinger’s cat, understandably looking very confused. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-s-s-united-states/958834.md?page=2)