The SS Monte Carlo which remains near Coronado Shores, California. Picture: Jamie Lantzy
NEARLY 80 years ago, a ship that had been dedicated to “sin” was destroyed by a violent storm.
The anchor of the SS Monte Carlo lost its hold and the vessel ended up laying ruined on a beach near Coronado Shores, California.
A mess of slot machines, furniture and whiskey bottles were thrown from the ship and stunned beachgoers happily helped themselves to the alcohol and gambling equipment.
Only two caretakers were on board at the time and were both rescued.
Nobody stepped forward to claim ownership of the ship, which had hosted some outrageous parties in international waters, because once on the shore the gambling and prostitution that had occurred on board was illegal. However, it was thought to have been run by a local mob.
So the “pleasure palace” has remained in its watery grave ever since, with parts of the wreckage occasionally visible during strong tides caused by storms. This year, the El Niño storms moved enough sand to expose parts of the 90-metre-long wreck that have remained hidden for many years.
Nobody has claimed ownership of the ship. Picture: Jamie LantzySource:Supplied
The ship had hosted some 15,000 people a week during its peak times and guests could play blackjack, roulette or slots.
Joe Ditler, executive director of the Coronado Museum of History & Art, told the San Diego Union Tribune that he’d heard reports from guests of the ship that “skinny women in tiny skirts danced on the tables” of the gambling parlours.
The shipwreck pictured on New Year’s Day, 1937. Picture: Coronado Public LibrarySource:Supplied
While authorities stripped the ship of the remaining liquor, gambling equipment and valuable parts at the time, it’s rumoured that a bunch of silver coins worth approximately $140,000 were left behind and are still to be claimed.
“He saw silver dollars scattered all over the floors,” Mr Ditler said he was told by another man.
SS Monte Carlo near Coronado Shores, Coronado, California. Picture: Jamie LantzySource:Supplied
In the years following its demise, a slab of concrete was placed in the hull to keep in the remains of the ship in place. And so it remains today, fascinating visitors.
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