On New Years Day 1936, a huge storm ripped the SS Monte Carlo from it's mooring 3 miles off the coast of San Diego and washed the ship aground in Coronado. 76 years later it's still there.
The reason? Because once the ship was no longer anchored in international waters, the illegal gambling and casino equipment was, well illegal. Rumored to have been operated by the mob, no one was exceedingly eager to step up and claim ownership of the 300 ft long vessel. So it just sat there.
What happened to the bulk of the ship, I don't know. They didn't cover that in our "History of Coronado" class in middle school. All I know is that the slot machines and prostitutes are long gone and all that's left is the concrete hull buried in the sand.
No longer a vessel of sin, SS Monte Carlo still provides plenty of entertainment in the form of good waves at one of my favorite places to surf. A break appropriately known as "shipwrecks".
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