Man Buys Retired Cruise Ship With All His Life Savings & Restores It

Christopher Willson’s journey began in 2008 when he was searching the web and came across an unusual item for sale on Craigslist: a defunct cruise ship.

For whatever reason, the ship’s owner decided that the most effective way to sell the 293-foot-long vessel was to offer it on Craigslist.

Willson wasn’t particularly interested in purchasing a cruise ship, but since the listing kept cropping up, he decided to satiate his curiosity and pretended to be a potential buyer.

He visited Northern California, where the vessel was parked, and quickly changed his mind about buying a cruise ship.

Willson was working on virtual reality tours, but when he realised how severely the vessel had been neglected and how beautiful it was behind all of the wear and tear, the idea that he might be able to fix it piqued his interest.

He told CNN Travel that he researched the cruise ship’s history and discovered that it was created in 1955 and was the first significant ship built in Germany after World War II.

He pretended to be a possible buyer, even though he had no interest in acquiring a ship, and it was a little out of his comfort zone, to say the least, Willson stated his initial reaction before realising he enjoyed big boats and couldn’t lie.

She boasts one of the most stunning layouts of any ship he had ever seen. The staircases are breathtaking.

It’s almost as if you discovered an old ’60s Corvette in a garage. The quality is visible, but it has been neglected, and you almost feel sorry.

He also discovered that the cruise ship’s original name was the Wappen von Hamburg, and he determined he would be the one to rebuild it. He began renovating it now that he owned it, clearing off hundreds of trash bags.

Willson and his companion Jin Li opted to move onto the vessel to be closer to the restoration after spending hours travelling between his house and where the cruise liner was parked.

Over time, he discovered that the ship had a richer history than he had previously realised, as it inspired the TV show The Love Boat and was utilised for filming the Spectre headquarters for the legendary James Bond film From Russia with Love.

Reference- India Times

Man Buys Retired Cruise Ship With All His Life Savings & Restores It appeared first on Marine Insight – The Maritime Industry Guide

Source: Maritime Shipping News