Aurora Follow-Up

Two months ago I posted the photo below in Jaunt ’24 D.

Two months ago this classic* small ocean liner was a sight to see in Little Potato Slough in the area of Empire Tract and Eight Mile Road in Stockton.

*classic?  I quote from an article I’ll link below:  “the classic pocket cruise ship was built by Blohm & Voss for brief trips to and from the island of Heligoland, and had a long and varied career in the Aegean, North Sea, Eastern Pacific, and the U.S. West Coast.”

George and I asked for a tour after helping a gentleman working there with a small task, but were told to return another day.

Named Aurora, some articles have referred to this vessel as follows:  “Aurora, which has been credited as an inspiration for the hit ’70s TV show The Love Boat, has been moored near Stockton for some time now. Along with its The Love Boat connection, Aurora also appeared in the 1963 James Bond film From Russia with Love.”  That link also follows, and you’ll understand this deferral later. 

Off Aurora‘s port side was an ominous sight.  Lacking a boat to get out onto Little Potato Slough, we couldn’t get a better view.  That sunken vessel is  HMCS Chaleur (MCB 164), a wooden minesweeper that sank in December 2021.  

 USS Mazapeta (YTM-181) also sank nearby in September 2023, but was raised and towed to Mare Island for scrap.

The tragic reason for the deferred links is that Aurora has now also settled into Little Potato Slough.  Here and here are the deferred links. 

This story will be followed.  The USCG vessel there is USCGC Fir (WAGL/WLM 212).

All photos, any errors, WVD.

For more eloquent and personal reflection on this vessel, watch this short video by Peter Knego, some taken a few days before she sank here. 

For a complete bio of the vessel and more, click here.