AH-WR-0225

Star of Scotland

Auxiliary Schooner · United States · Lost 1942 · Southern California & Catalina

A First World War era steel vessel that ended her days as a Santa Monica gambling ship before sinking in 1942.

Become Captain of Record See Shipwreck on Map

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents. See the documented evidence.

Interpretive Reconstruction, drawn to convey the vessel's era, type and general form. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

Built in 1918 as a wartime auxiliary, the vessel later became known off Santa Monica as the gambling barge Star of Scotland, anchored beyond the reach of local law. She foundered in heavy weather in January 1942. Her broken hull lies on the sand in Santa Monica Bay and has been dived for decades.

Vessel

Built: 1918
Builder: Not established
Yard: Not established
Material: Steel
Length: Not established
Beam: Not established
Tonnage: Not established
Propulsion: Sail with auxiliary power
Owners: Not established

Loss

Date: January 23, 1942
Cause: Storm
Location: Off Santa Monica, California
Water: Pacific Ocean
Voyage: Not established
Cargo: Not established
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: Not established
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: 60 to 70 feet
Condition: Broken hull on a sand bottom.
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: Not established
Protection: Not established

Position

Coordinates: 33.98° N 118.52° W
Accuracy: Approximate position
Nearest: Santa Monica, California
Region: Southern California & Catalina

Evidence

Overall confidence: Partially documented (65/100)

Build details and casualty figures are not fully established in the sources reviewed.

California State Lands Commission shipwreck records
Wreck location and identity.
Southern California maritime histories
Career as a gambling ship and the sinking.