1950s-era ocean linker sinking into Delta, leaking oil and fuel

The Aurora, a 293-foot ocean liner made in 1955, suffered a hole and began taking on water, San Joaquin County sheriff's officials say.

By Victoria Franco | Bay City News

A sinking ship in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta waterway in San Joaquin County was leaking fuel and oil into the body of water Wednesday, sheriff’s officials said.

Aurora, a 293-foot ocean liner made in 1955, suffered a hole and began taking on water, causing it to leak diesel fuel and oil into the Delta at Empire Tract and Eight Mile roads in an area known as Little Potato Slough.

The sheriff’s boating safety unit and ground units were at the scene attempting to contain the spill Wednesday afternoon.

They said they contacted outside agencies to assist. Anyone in the area is asked to take caution and to avoid the area.

Originally, the ship was called “Wappen von Hamburg” and was intended to be used for cruise voyages. However, after several different changes of owners, the ship was bought by Chris Wilson, who found it on a Craigslist ad.

In a Facebook post Wednesday, Wilson said, “I just heard the news about the Aurora. Seems like a very bad day for this beautiful little liner.”

He said he spent 15 years of his life working on the Aurora to keep it afloat.

“However due to the overwhelming amount of bad players I decided to remove myself from this project last October and pass along my interest in the vessel to someone who felt they could move the project forward and deal with the political side of this adventure,” Wilson said in the post.