While browsing the online classifieds site Craigslist, US resident Christopher Wilson saw an unusual offer: one of the users put up an abandoned cruise ship for sale. Although Christopher initially responded just out of curiosity, the story took an unexpected turn.
The story began in 2008 when Christopher decided to contact the seller of the aircraft, pretending to be an interested buyer. He was curious about what exactly the author of the ad was offering, so he arranged a visit to the ship.
A huge passenger boat about 300 meters long appeared in front of him. The ship looked abandoned, but still impressive, and Christopher was quickly seized by the idea of restoring this unusual object.
He delved into the ship’s origins and discovered that it was launched in 1955 and was the first major cruise ship built in Germany since the end of World War II. “It has one of the most impressive designs I’ve ever seen. The stairs are simply magnificent. It’s almost like finding an old Corvette from the 60s in your garage. You can see how sophisticated it is, but so neglected it makes you sad,” the man says.
Wilson won’t say how much it cost him to buy the plane, but says it was a “good deal.” Soon after the acquisition, he began reconstructing and repairing the vessel.
Christopher began by clearing out the space — he took out hundreds of bags of garbage that had accumulated on board over the years of inactivity. The work required a lot of time, as did the journey to the house and back. Therefore, over time, Christopher decided to move to the liner.
Since purchasing the ship, Christopher Wilson, with the help of several volunteers, has renovated the lobby, several lounges, and some of the cabins. In addition, he gave the ship a new name, calling it “Aurora”.
Surprisingly, Christopher Wilson is not the first to choose a cruise ship as his place of residence. IT specialist from the USA Ryan Gutridge spent 300 days on a similar ship.