Entry No. 4 — the San Diego file — filed under: shipwreck
SS Monte Carlo Shipwreck (Shipwreck Beach)
A 300-foot concrete-hulled gambling ship — a floating casino anchored three miles offshore to skirt California gambling laws — broke its moorings in a storm and grounded on Coronado's Silver Strand on New Year's Day 1937; its rusted rebar skeleton still resurfaces in the sand at low tide. (Note: the ship operated after Prohibition ended in 1933, so it was dodging gambling law, not Prohibition; the '$3M a year' and 'city torches iron yearly' claims are unverified embellishments.)
The story
Before it ended up as a waterlogged pile of concrete rebar off Coronado, the SS Monte Carlo was a 300-foot floating palace of roulette, dice, and untaxed drinks. It didn't start that way: launched in 1921 as an oil tanker named the SS Old North State, the concrete vessel was refitted in 1932 and towed out to international waters, exactly three miles off the San Diego coast. Anchored just beyond the reach of local and federal law enforcement, it ran a lucrative offshore operation—not dodging Prohibition (it operated after booze was re-legalized in 1933), but bypassing California's strict anti-gambling statutes.
On New Year's Day 1937, a massive winter storm tore the ship from its moorings and washed it hard aground on the sand of Silver Strand. Because acknowledging ownership of a stranded illegal casino packed with slot machines meant inviting a federal court date, no one stepped up to claim or salvage the vessel. The ocean eventually broke the hull down, burying it under millions of tons of shifting sand—leaving behind a rusted concrete skeleton that only breaks the surface when the Pacific decides to strip the beach bare.
What it's like
You won't see a wooden pirate galleon here; you're looking for dark, ribbed slabs of concrete and rusted rebar poking out of the ocean foam like a whale carcass. Check a local tide chart before driving out—you want a negative low tide, ideally during winter when heavy storm swells scour sand off the ocean floor. Park near the public beach access at Avenida de las Arenas, walk past the Coronado Shores high-rise towers, and head down toward the surf line. If conditions line up, the stern and amidships framing will be sticking out of the shallow wash. Mind your footwear: the remaining rebar is jagged, slick with algae, and lined with sharp barnacles.
The move: Check a low-tide chart, walk the beach south of the Coronado Shores towers near Avenida de las Arenas, and look for the wreck's stern and amidships ribs breaking the sand.
- 📍 Coronado
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: Beach access near Avenida de las Arenas, Coronado, CA 92118
Hours: Added 2026-07-19 — confirm current hours before you go.
⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.
Pair it with
- Chicano Park — Cross the San Diego–Coronado Bridge immediately after your low-tide beach run to explore the massive political murals painted onto the bridge's concrete pylons.
- Mount Hope Cemetery — Kate Morgan's grave — Double down on local Coronado history by visiting the quiet, real-life grave of Kate Morgan, whose mysterious 1892 death at the Hotel del Coronado created San Diego's most famous ghost story.
- Bread & Salt — Trade a concrete gambling ship decaying in the salt wash for a raw, 45,000-square-foot former industrial bread factory turned experimental art space in Barrio Logan.
Good to know
Where is the shipwreck located on Coronado Beach?
It sits in the surf zone directly in front of the Coronado Shores residential towers, accessible via the beach pathway at Avenida de las Arenas.
When is the best time to see the wreck?
During extreme low tides (negative tides), particularly in winter months after heavy surf has eroded the sand covering the hull.
Was the Monte Carlo a Prohibition rum-runner?
No. The ship operated in the mid-1930s after Prohibition ended; its primary purpose was skirting state and federal laws prohibiting gambling.
Can you climb on or touch the wreck?
You can wade out to it at low tide, but climbing on it isn't recommended. The concrete and metal framing are sharp, barnacle-encrusted, and pounded by unpredictable waves.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: coronadotimes.com · nbcsandiego.com · Wikipedia · hiddensandiego.com
last checked: 2026-07-19