In 1999, the City of Oakland, California purchased the ship and renamed it "Art Ship" as part of a failed art colony project. She was sold for scrap in 2004, but dismantling was halted because of high PCB levels and because she was considered too historic. Thereafter, she was privately owned and plans were put in place to convert her into a luxury hotel and museum. She had been laid up at Mare Island Naval Shipyard in Vallejo, California since 2004 pending these plans.