Different Owners
Until 1923, the ship was owned by the United States Quartermaster Corps. It was purchased by the Associated Oil Company of San Francisco. In the early 1930s, the company sold it to actual mobsters, Martin Schouwiler and Ed Turner.
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Plan For The Ship
The two men initially hoped they could turn their newly acquired ship into a “sin ship” during the Prohibition period. Their plan was to anchor it three miles from Coronado Beach, in international waters. Doing this would make alcohol, prostitution, and gambling technically legal onboard… at least, that was what they hoped.