Sadly, December 21, 2024 marked the end of a 69 year career for the MV AURORA, a ship that until late last year was the subject of much hope and celebration during a long process of restoration. After partially sinking this year and making headlines for all the wrong reasons as she was subsequently refloated, the AURORA was towed away from her last Stockton berth on December 20, arriving at Mare Island the following morning to be dismantled. This ship was the first major German passenger ship built after World War Two, used in a James Bond film, one of the ships featured in "The Love Boats" book by Jeraldine Saunders, a homeless Christian shelter and a drug den, among her varied careers. She was built in 1955 as the WAPPEN VON HAMBURG and was named DELOS, PACIFIC STAR, POLAR STAR XANADU, EXPEX and FAITHFUL before becoming AURORA. #scrapyard #aurora #xanadu #wappenvonhamburg #theloveboat #oldships #classicships
