Man spent $1M and 15 years restoring a derelict Craigslist cruise ship, now it’s scrap in California

This man spent $1M and 15 years restoring a derelict Craigslist cruise ship and in a devastating turn of events, it’s just headed to the scrapheap.

A man called Chris Willson purchased a 294 foot derelict cruise ship that he poured his time and energy into for years, and it became an ecological disaster.

The derelict Craigslist cruise ship is incredibly special, even having starred in a James Bond film.

This is the unfortunate story of how the boat turned from historical icon of the screen to a bottomless money pit.

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$1M spent on a derelict Craigslist cruise ship

We love stories about derelict boats being brought back from the dead and revived by people who care deeply about them, but unfortunately, this is one story that doesn’t have a happy ending.

Built in 1955 after World War 2, the derelict cruise ship was a significant ocean liner.

It then went on to became a movie star, being the headquarters for the Spectre organization in the 1960s James Bond film From Russia With Love.

The tiny little cruise ship eventually made it onto Craigslist in 2008, where it was spotted and purchased by Chris Willson.

Delighted by his 294 foot cruise ship named Aurora, the new owner struggled to find a place to park it, eventually parking it just outside Stockton in California, in a fresh water delta.

This was the beginning of all of his problems.

Ship restoration

Thousands of people donated money and time to restoring the historic mini cruise ship, but the marina where Aurora was docked was closed down and the boats left there were sinking.

As such, locals began to call for the Craigslist cruise boat to be removed from the channel.

The big issue was that the abandoned cruise ship was stuck in the channel and without the city dredging it, Willson didn’t know what to do.

Willson decided to sell Aurora and hoped that the new owner would take good care of it, but just seven months after the sale, the sinking ship was announced to be spilling an ‘estimated 21,675 gallons of oily water, 3,193 gallons of hazardous waste, and five 25-yard bins of debris,’ according to the California Department of Fish.

Unfortunately the concerned locals were vindicated in their fears and the clean up process by the city and state officials is estimated to come with a huge price tag.

The whole derelict Craigslist cruise ship has unfortunately been scrapped and Willson and a lot of others’ money and time has been completely wasted.

We guess it’s probably best to think about where you’re going to park a 300 foot cruise ship if you impulsively buy one.