Utah Man’s Cruise Ship, Bought on Craigslist, Now Sinking After He Spent Over $1 Million Restoring It

A Utah man spent more than $1 million restoring a cruise ship he bought on Craigslist that had begun to sink.

Tech entrepreneur Chris Willson revealed in an interview with CNN Travel that he and his longtime partner, Jin Li, spent 15 years rebuilding Aurora — a 293-foot vessel — after an online purchase in 2008. The ship also has 85 staterooms, a swimming pool and a theater.

While Willson did not reveal the original cost of the boat, he said in an interview published on Wednesday, September 18, that he was able to “work out a really good deal with the owner.”

Willson recalled that he immediately fell in love with Aurora after discovering a few facts about it. The ship was originally named Wappen von Hamburg, built by Germany after WWII, inspired The boat of love and was featured in the 1963 film From Russia with love.

View of ‘Aurora’.

CDFW Spill Prevention/Response

He told CNN Travel Aurora spent a year docked in Rio Vista, California, about three years at Pier 38 in San Francisco, and was docked at Herman & Helen’s Marina, about 15 miles from Stockton, California, in 2012.

“I found quite a few ways. I think we had 10 areas solidly restored and meticulously furnished,” he said of his work on the ship. He eventually sold the ship in October 2023 after locals protested the dormant ship, CNN Travel reported.

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“They were big areas. We were pretty proud of it. We did a pretty good job. We got marine engineers involved,” Willson continued. “(There was) no shortage of people who came to help.”

View of ‘Aurora’.

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While the identity of the individual who brought Aurora has not been publicly shared, the US Coast Guard announced on Wednesday, May 22 that it had begun “sinking in 13 feet of water and releasing pollution.”

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“The vessel was found to have suffered a hole and is taking on water and is currently leaking diesel fuel and oil into the Delta Waterway,” the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office added in a post on X.

Workers in front of ‘Aurora’.

United States Coast Guard

The US Coast Guard announced in late June that contractors hired by the Joint Command attempted to refloat Aurora and remove “an estimated 21,675 gallons of oily water, 3,193 gallons of hazardous waste and five 25-foot trash cans.”

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“Extensive investigations suggest that there is no recoverable oil residue on board. There were no sightings of oiled wildlife during the response,” the US Coast Guard said in a news release, noting that the city of Stockton “has hired contractors to maintain the pumps inside the vessel to the potential for water entry and vessel surveillance has been resolved.”

View of ‘Aurora’.

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The city’s public affairs officer, Connie Cochran, told CNN Travel that when Aurora sunk, had no “clear ownership,” and Stockton officials are “figuring out how to get rid of the ship.”

She added that the ship is a “public danger” and an “environmental hazard”, but the city hopes to be able to “recoup” some of that.

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In a recent post on a Facebook group page describing the Aurora’s restoration, Willson said “the new owner consistently reached out to every relevant agency, diligently publicizing his ownership status, and provided unequivocal legal documentation confirming his ownership.”

PEOPLE has reached out to the city of Stockton for comment.

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