The Aurora, once the pride of the seas, has suffered a sad end. Its vibrant history has piqued the imagination of maritime historians and local citizens. It was an early morning in June 2021 when Chris Willson purchased the ship almost two years ago. He hoped to return it to its mythical state after being burned by an undocumented arsonist. The ship, previously owned by the City of Stockton, California, was once a vibrant part of the community before its decline.
The City of Stockton initially acquired the Aurora from Herman & Helen’s Marina. Today, it’s docked at Little Potato Slough, 14 river miles from the city. Willson’s journey with the Aurora started with hopes of bringing her back to life and saving her. The ship’s long contentious past and recent decay resulted in its scrapping earlier this year.
After its decommissioning, the Aurora ended up adrift in various ports around the world. It lived for a year in Rio Vista, California. Then it transferred to San Francisco’s Pier 38, where it was docked for roughly three years. In 2005, after four decades in the New York harbor, the ship was towed to Alameda, California—the latest move in the vessel’s incredible history. The decision to scrap the vessel was made after the US Coast Guard verified the vessel had recently changed ownership.
Willson poured about $1 million into restoring the Aurora but it was an uphill battle from the start. He remarked on how sorry he was that the ship was going to end up that way, calling scrapping it “the most costly route.” His emotional investment in the project was obvious, and that passion came through. He continued exuberantly, “I think I would have been in that ship my whole life. But impediments made him turn back from his agenda. Once they threw a monkey grenade in the works, that sort of terminated it for me. I decided, no more,” he added.
The Aurora has an incredibly interesting past. In 1963, it was featured in the James Bond movie “From Russia with Love” as the lair for the fictional Spectre bad guy organization. This cultural significance only increased the ship’s artistic beauty and highlighted Willson’s determination to save it for future generations.
Peter Knego, a maritime expert, noted that in a good market, the Aurora could have been worth a couple of hundred thousand dollars. This recently announced valuation only serves to underscore the tragic demise of its passing and lost opportunities for preservation.
Steve Young, a local maritime historian and advocate for preservation of the ship, followed the ship’s journey with great interest. He offered genuine thanks to Willson and his team. “Words alone cannot express how thankful I am to Chris Young and his dedicated team for giving us the chance to see her one last time,” Young said. In his testimony, he echoed the view that the ship was “toast a long time ago.” He understood how close it came to disappearing entirely from the public realm.
Beyond all of its beauty and potential, Willson’s sense of loss is still palpable as he reflects on the unrealized potential that lay within the Aurora. That’s the part that truly kills me that I wasn’t able to get back in there and preserve it,” he said. His love of maritime history was so evident when he shouted, “We almost had the right people at the table! We could’ve saved that ship for so many more generations.”
Even with his tireless vision and commitment to never give up, Willson ran into a mountain of challenges. He described how plans fell through repeatedly and how he and his team kept waiting for opportunities that ultimately did not materialize. I do think that was worth the risk to take that chance,” he summed up.
