When you come across an abandoned building or ruins of some kind, it’s hard to imagine how a place could become so deteriorated. It’s intriguing to look at a run down building and imagine all that has taken place within the broken windows and falling walls. Each of these spots has a story and one particular ruin, hiding in Kentucky, definitely has quite an interesting tale. Known as the Ghost Ship, among other things, this abandoned boat floats adjacent to the Ohio river in the town of Petersburg and has been the source of many stories for years. But despite its popularity, there are still plenty of people who don’t know about these strange ruins hiding in Kentucky.

Christened as The Celt, this once beautiful ship first launched in 1902 as a luxury boat.
Photo Courtesy of @aestheticvisions
It's difficult to imagine the ruins in their current state as a luxury cruise ship in the early 1900's, carrying some of the richest people in the country.
The Celt became the Sachem and then eventually the USS Sachem as a part of the Navy. This is the name most people associate with the ship.
Navsource
Navsource
During the war, the ship was even used by Thomas Edison to test and experiment his innovative ideas to help with threats from enemy submarines. The ship was considered a secret weapon and played a vital role. The ship received the name USS Phenakite when it was put back in service after Pearl Harbor was attacked and then eventually became a cruise ship once again in New York as the Sightseer and the Circle Line V.

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The last owner of the ship brought it to his land in Kentucky, but only after it was used by none other than Madonna for her music video for "Papa Don't Preach."
Flickr/Kylen Louanne
The ship remains where it was anchored in the 80s, a tributary of the Ohio River in Northern Kentucky. There it has sat for about 30 years.
The story of who owns the ship is somewhat mysterious, but it is known that the property surrounding the ship is privately owned.
Photo Courtesy of @aestheticvisions
You can drive down the road near the ship, but it is trespassing on private property to walk up to it. Many kayakers have reached the ship via the river, in order to get a closer look at the famous Ghost Ship.
The ship sits on this creek, peering down through the trees at the Ohio River, likely longing for the days it was useful and cared for.
Photo Courtesy of @aestheticvisions
The ruins of the USS Sachem provide one of the best stories in Kentucky and it's likely it will go on floating there, continuing to deteriorate, but always maintaining its legendary status.

The USS Sachem, Circle Line, Ghost Ship…whatever you call it, you can tell by these photos that these strange ruins in Kentucky tell quite the story. Who knows how long this ship will last in the water, but for now it remains one of the most mysterious spots in our state.

Have you seen the Ghost Ship in person? Maybe you’ve stumbled upon other interesting ruins in Kentucky? Let us know about it in the comments! And special thanks to @aestheticvisions for a few of these mesmerizing photos! For more work like this, check out his Instagram account here.

And for more mysterious ruins in Kentucky, check out our previous article here.

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