A MAN bought an entire cruise ship with 85 cabins 14 years ago – and he still hasn’t finished renovating it.
Christopher Willson found a huge boat for sale online and put his heart, soul and almost all of his money into restoring the 239-foot vintage boat.
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Christopher Wilson and his partner spent more than 14 years restoring the cruise shipCredit: CNN/Christopher Wilson
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A brave boat owner bought the 1955 boat for just under a million poundsCredit: Instagram/aurora_restoration_project
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Inside the Aurora – which has three decks, 85 rooms and a pool Credit: YouTube/@AuroraRestorationProject
After seeing a Craiglist ad in 2008, Willson went to see the 2,496-ton cruiser docked in California out of curiosity.
The floating hotel had three decks, 85 cabins and private bathrooms, a dining room and lounge, and a large outdoor pool.
Willson researched its history and discovered that the ship was originally built in 1955 in Germany and named the Wappen von Hamburg.
It was one of the first large passenger ships built in the war-torn country after World War II and was called the “Jewel of Germany.”
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The ship also had a brief career in Hollywood after being the location for the 1963 James Bond film From Russia With Love.
Willson was surprised and decided to buy the giant vessel after negotiating a “really good deal” with the owner and bought it for just under a million pounds.
“The next thing you know, I own a boat,” Willson told CNN Travel.
Then the DIY enthusiast, who had no previous experience with boats, got to work on his historic boat, which he renamed Aurora.
“I realized it was going to be a long project,” he said. “The scale was huge.
“It’s almost like redoing 15 houses yourself.”
Willson and his partner, Kin Li, moved into the rusted ship to help speed up the restoration project.
However, after 14 years they still live on the ship and spend their working days restoring the Aurora.
“As far as actually working on the boat, I learned so much,” Willson said.
“There’s nothing I don’t know how to fix. But that requires a lot of money.”
As of last year, only 40 per cent of the massive renovation project had been completed and the couple had already pocketed £900,000.
“When you’re done with one end of the ship, you have to start over until you get to the other end,” he told Insider last year.
“Even a brand new ship requires maintenance now.”
Now the ship’s brave owner is hoping to raise £2.5 million to finally complete the ship.
He’s even using the power of social media to document all of their progress on a new YouTube channel, The Aurora Restoration Project.
It has more than 83 thousand subscribers, and now hundreds of people are volunteering to finally finish the huge project.
The cruise ship will never set sail, but Willson hopes it could one day become a quirky bed and breakfast and a hub of events.
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Willson repairs rusted exteriors on his boat Credit: YouTube/@AuroraRestorationProject
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The team was able to restore 40 percent of the ship, including its grand staircase and great hall Credit: YouTube/@AuroraRestorationProject
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Willson hopes to one day turn it into a B&B Credit: YouTube/@AuroraRestorationProject
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The giant ship has a long history and was once known as the ‘Jewel of Germany’Credit: CBS
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Image of the ship from 1956, probably on its maiden voyage Credit: instagram@aurorarestorationproject
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Most of the ship is still not restored Credit: YouTube/@AuroraRestorationProject
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