By then known as the Star of Scotland, she sank in a storm off Santa Monica, California in January 1942
Click here for a first hand account of a dive to the wreck of the Star of Scotland in April 2002
City of Panama after her RXKR days, by now she had been re-named Star of Scotland
After her use by RXKR had ended the ship was re-named a number of times, Star of Holywood, Texas, and finally in 1940, Star of Scotland.
With this latter name she was again anchored off the Santa Monica coast and used as a party/fishing barge - a fishing platform was installed along the side of the hull, and paying visitors were also able to enjoy dining and dancing below decks.
In January 1942, during a particularly severe winter storm, she took in more water than her pumps could handle and she started to sink, due mainly to a lack of maintenance over the years. It was reported that the ship went down in less than 2 minutes and one of the crew members was killed in the accident.
The Star of Scotland became a hazard to shipping in the Bay and her bridge and masts were later dynamited, but the wreck of the vessel still lays at the bottom of the Bay and is now a popular venue for scuba divers to explore (see videos right).
Thanks to Martin van der Ven for allowing us to use some additional information from the Broadcasting Fleet section of the Offshore Radio Guide in this Gallery
Floor 2
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Two videos of diving expeditions to the wreck of the Star of Scotland off the Californian coast
