To reduce the use of steel during
World War I, on April 12, 1918, President
Woodrow Wilson approved the construction of
concrete ships, overseen by the
Emergency Fleet Corporation (EFC). In total, 24 ships were approved for construction. Only 12 ships were completed by the
1918 armistice. Although the remaining unbuilt ships were cancelled, a 13th and final ship was under construction at the Newport Shipbuilding Company yard in
Wilmington, North Carolina. Known as the
Old North State this vessel was the third Design No. 1070 class concrete oil tanker constructed, after the previously completed and . Author Norman Lang McKellar believed construction was completed in 1921 under the temporary name of
Tanker No. 1, being heavily modified from its original EFC design. In 1932,
McKittrick was sold to Ed V. Turner and Marvin Schouweiler and renamed
Monte Carlo. Its hull was mostly filled with concrete to reduce motion and the former oil tanker was converted for the purpose of gambling, prostitution and drinking, all of which were illegal during
Prohibition. Under the operation of
Anthony Cornero, it became the largest
gambling ship operating off the California coast.
Monte Carlo opened for business off
Long Beach on May 7, 1932 coinciding with the
1932 Los Angeles Olympics along with two other gambling ships of the fleet.
Monte Carlo was moved to
international waters off
Coronado Island in 1936. California law enforcement was unable to shut down the ship's operations as it was just beyond their jurisdiction. The
water taxis and ferries that carried customers to and from
Monte Carlo were subject to high taxation in an attempt to undermine the financial viability of the business. == Grounding ==