A Utah tech entrepreneur is learning the consequences of a decision he made in 2008. Chris Wilson purchased a historic cruise ship after discovering a listing on Craigslist. The purchase capped a 15-year journey of passionate restoration, transforming the 293-foot ship into a treasure featuring 85 cabins, a swimming pool, and a theater. However, despite his efforts and dreams of establishing a museum on the ship, Mr Wilson was forced to sell the ship in October 2023 – a decision which continues to “haunt” him.
The ship, originally named Wapen von Hamburg and built in 1955, had a long history as one of Germany’s first passenger ships after World War II. Feeling inspired, Mr. Wilson purchased the ship and invested his life savings – more than $1 million – into the project.
Naming it Aurora, he moved it to California and moved there with his partner Jin Lee. He devoted years to its renovation. With the help of volunteers, they made substantial progress, restoring 10 major areas of the ship. Mr. Wilson’s goal was to turn the Aurora into a floating museum.
However, Chris Wilson’s dream of turning the ship into a museum faced opposition from locals. Their restoration project did not go down well with residents, especially after the sinking in 2021 of another nearby ship, the Canadian minesweeper HMCS Chaleur.
In January 2023, a military tugboat parked near Aurora also sank, raising a pollution issue that attracted the attention of local authorities. As pressure increased, Mr. Wilson and his partner realized that they could no longer continue the project.
“Maybe Aurora was not in the right place,” Ms Lee told CNN. “Maybe if Aurora had been in a different state or a different country it would have been different.”
At the end of 2023, Mr Wilson made the difficult decision to sell the ship. While he believed the buyer shared his passion for preserving the Aurora, disaster struck after only seven months.
In May 2024, the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office reported that the Aurora was sinking. A hole in the ship took on water, causing diesel fuel and oil to leak into the delta waterway. Contractors hired by the U.S. Coast Guard managed to refloat the ship, but it was clear that the ship’s future was bleak.
“I maintained that ship meticulously,” Mr. Wilson, shocked by the sinking, told CNN. “We’ve had it for 15 years, and we’ve had no problems with it.”
“It bothers me and it causes me to lose sleep,” he said.
Today, the City of Stockton is managing the operation to remove the Aurora, although no clear ownership of the ship exists. Chris Wilson, who gained a large following on YouTube due to the restoration project, recalls his time with the ship as one of the most gratifying experiences of his life, despite the unfortunate outcome. “I don’t regret what I did,” he said.
