C
hris Wilson's historic cruise ship, once a labor of love, has been repossessed by the city of Stockton, California. After purchasing the Wappen von Hamburg on Craigslist in 2008 for $1 million, Wilson spent 15 years restoring the vessel, renaming it Aurora and moving it to various waterways in California. He envisioned transforming it into a museum.

    However, after multiple large ships sank near its mooring site outside Stockton, Wilson realized there was no future for Aurora at that location. In October 2023, he sold the ship, but by May, it had begun sinking due to a hole and was leaking diesel fuel and oil into the Delta Waterway.

    The city of Stockton has taken over the ship, which currently has "no clear ownership." Community relations officer Connie Cochran told CNN that the city is working on disposing of the vessel, a complicated task given its location beyond the city's technical limits and massive size (over 2,400 tons). Wilson expressed regret over the situation, stating it haunts him and keeps him up at night.