Completed May 14, 1955 Out of service 1977 Builder Blohm + Voss | In service 1955 Launched 1 February 1955 | |
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Name 1955-1960 Wappen von Hamburg1960-1967 Delos1967-1970 Polar Star1970-1972 Pacific Star1972-1977 Xanadu1984-1991 Expex1991-2009 Faithful2009-Present Aurora Owner 1955-1960 HADAG1960-1967 Nomikos Line1967-1970 West Tour1972-1974 Xanadu Cruises1974-1982 J. Eisenberg1982-1984 Pan Aleutian Seafoods1984-1985 EXPEX1985-1991 Xanadu, Inc1991-1998 Friend Ships2005-Present Chris Willson Port of registry 1955-1960 Hamburg, Germany1961-1967 Piraeus, Greece1967-1983 Vancouver, Canada1983-1985 Tacoma, Washington1985-2009 Los Angeles, California2009-Present San Francisco, California | ||
MV Aurora is a 1955 built vintage cruise ship, now being moored in Stockton, California after months of preservation in Rio Vista, California.
Contents
History
Aurora was launched as the Wappen von Hamburg for HADAG at Blohm & Voss, intended to be used for day long cruise voyages from Hamburg, calling at Cuxhaven, Helgoland, and Hörnum. She was the first ship to be built in West Germany since World War II. However, after only five years with her original owners, Wappen Von Hamburg was sold to Greek interests, the Nomikos Line. With this sale she was renamed Delos and refitted, the additions being a swimming pool, air conditioning in all cabins, a spa, beauty salon, and gift shop.
In 1967 the ship was sold to West Tour and renamed Polar Star for cruising in Alaskan waters. She passed through several owners and names during her decade long stay in Alaska, even once being partially owned by the Holland America Line. Eventually as the cruise industry began to fade, the now renamed Xanadu was laid up in Vancouver in 1977. In 1985 a new Los Angeles-based company planned to rename Xanadu Expex and moor her as an exhibition ship. This plan never took off and she remained laid up. In 1991 there were plans to convert this ship into a hospital ship for use in the Caribbean, but she never operated in this role due to funds falling through.
In 2005 the ship was towed from Vancouver to Alameda, California, with a plan to rebuild her into a luxury yacht in mind. At this point in time Faithful was in a poor visual condition, with the majority of her paint peeled off and faded, her metal rusting, and parts of her wooden railings missing. In 2009 the Faithful was featured on the Life After People episode Holiday Hell, in which maritime enthusiast Peter Knego is interviewed on the history and condition of Faithful.
Soon afterward, the preservation of Faithful to Aurora began, which included repainting her hull white and funnel blue, and adding new carpeting, furniture, and paint to the interior, as well as a dance floor. On August 1, 2010, the newly renamed Aurora set out under tow by the research vessel Robert Gray to be berthed at Pier 38 in San Francisco at 3:00 AM, arriving the next day around 10:00 PM, and tying up at Pier 38 at 10:45. She was to be opened as a tourist attraction in the near future.
Current status
As of May 2016, work is well underway by volunteers to restore the Aurora to her historical condition. The United States Lines of SS United States fame is assisting with the restoration effort through fundraisers and sponsorship.
Legal issues and controversy
On August 12, 2011 the Port of San Francisco wharfinger approached the vessel's owner, Christopher Willson, with a notice that Pier 38 would be shut down due to structural and electrical issues. The Aurora would have to be moved to another mooring within three days, when all of the port's services to the vessel (mooring, electricity, location etc.) would be cut off. The vessel could be forcibly removed from Willson's ownership and sold for scrap. Willson stated he is "capable of finding another location but at this point we cannot move the vessel to a new location without proper finances or a donated tug.”