Making history float Cruise life planned for the old SS United States.

But financing for a makeover, estimated in the hundreds of millions, never came through. The red, white and blue stacks faded to pastel as the ship sat peeling and useless just north of the Walt Whitman Bridge.

A nonprofit would-be savior, the SS United States Foundation, got the ship placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000. It raised money and awareness and collected memoirs. But despite the foundation's best efforts, the vessel appeared headed for the scrap heap when North Jersey owner Edward A. Cantor died in February.

That's why Norwegian Cruise Line's purchase of the ship came as such a pleasant surprise this week. Norwegian plans to convert the vessel back into a state-of-the-art cruise ship to travel between U.S. seaports.

Better yet, only a half-dozen shipyards in the country are large enough to handle the extensive renovations, and one, Metro Machine Corp., is here in Philadelphia. It plans to bid aggressively for the job.

The SS United States originated in Philadelphia, in the mind of designer William Francis Gibbs. After a short, but storied life, it looked as if it would die here. Here's hoping that after enduring the deterioration of this riverfront curiosity, Philadelphians can participate in its rebirth.