With water lapping at its creaking hull, this abandoned casino cruise ship has an intriguing tale to tell. Far removed from its decadent heyday, when guests flocked to gamble the night away, it now stands deserted. Yet its eerie interior still contains discarded roulette wheels and slot machines, frozen in time from when the last chancers boarded its deck. Captured by photographer Leland Kent of Abandoned Southeast, click scroll on to take a tour of this creepy castaway cruiseliner...

Now stranded and a shadow of its former self, the sprawling 200-foot-long cruise boat has led many lives over the years. A master of disguise, the castaway boat has changed its name a myriad of times across the decades. Now called Escapade, previous incarnations were equally intriguing: Diamond Girl, Savannah Lady and Tiger Seal. 

Stepping on board and into the gaming room, the centrepiece of the space is this magnificent roulette wheel, which is like something out of James Bond’s Casino Royale, with colourful chips still scattered across it. Over to the right of this shot, you can see the ‘layout’ area where gamblers place their bets. The ship was built in Florida in 1978 as an offshore supply vessel. Weighing more than 1,300 tons, the vast boat was converted into a passenger cruise ship in 1993.

A row of gaudy slot machines stands ready for punters. The wonderfully old-school designs on the machine fronts certainly do their job of attracting the eye, making you wonder what they have to offer. A thick carpet with an eye-wateringly busy pattern was perhaps a helpful way of disguising the spilled drinks of over-excited passengers when they hit the jackpot.

The casino ship has three passenger decks, with the creepy cave-like lower level offering a massive 6,000 square feet of gambling space. A chair has been left pushed away from this slot machine, as if somebody had just walked away from it, but the front of the next machine is flung open with wires trailing out. Notice the metal strip of vents on the ceiling to keep gamblers cool while they sweat over lost dollars.

Here’s the blackjack table with neatly stacked colourful chips and bright markings to lure players in. In the background, the shiny, rigid black shapes of the slot machines look like a line of menacing robots! Casino cruise ships have been popular in the US at least since the 1920s, offering a place where guests could gamble beyond the reach of the authorities. 

Naturally, some gambling ships have attracted shady operators, such as the Monfalcone gambling barge, which was co-owned by a mafia boss. It sank to the depths of the ocean in 1930, with a party in full swing. Here’s a better view of the 'layout' section of the Escapade’s roulette table, where punters place their bets. You can imagine the gamblers crowded around the table, each desperate for that elusive win.

Creating a luxurious interior for high rollers, the gambling deck has a very fancy coffered ceiling of stacked rectangular grids. Being on a boat, the ceiling is quite low, which enhances the feeling of being inside a cavernous den. But it wasn't all plain sailing. On the Gulf of Mexico in the 2000s, the Escapade was dramatically raided by law enforcement after allowing passengers to gamble illegally in state waters, says Abandoned Southeast.

The Escapade was later sold to new owners, but bad luck seemed to plague the ship as delays prevented its operation. Here’s a gambler’s view of the roulette table. Imagine the nervous tension of throwing down a handful of those rainbow-coloured chips and waiting for the ball to roll. Will you win or lose?

The gambling deck is in pretty good shape, considering it’s been abandoned for about eight years. Are those light-fittings or cameras on the far wall? It’s likely there are cameras hidden somewhere in the casino, so the operators could keep a beady eye out for guests trying to cheat.

These slot machines are closely packed together so gamblers could sit side-by-side, engrossed by the addictive games. Notice the random bottle of beer abandoned on top of the left-hand machine. The red-patterned carpet clashes uncomfortably with the yellow paint on the walls – a colour scheme guaranteed to keep you awake and gambling! Which is just as well really, as disaster would soon strike the Escapade, throwing its passengers and crew into peril.

Notice the sailing schedule taped to the side of a slot machine – it must be easy to lose track of time inside this self-contained gambling hideaway. In July 2014, cruise ship operator Tradewinds offered a free five-hour cruise on the Escapade to attract punters in the wake of new ownership. About 118 passengers and crew boarded the vessel that day, none of them with any clue of the ordeal the voyage held in store. 

Look at the statement ceiling tiles in this shot. Crammed with gambling machines, the interior seems very claustrophobic. Around midnight, while passengers were partying, the Escapade ran aground on a sandbar two miles offshore. The jolt of the crash must have been terrifying for guests, with everyone rushing to grab a life vest. Worse, the Coast Guard couldn’t tow the heavy ship to safety as the lines had snapped. Passengers were reportedly stranded aboard the stricken vessel for a terrifying 16 hours.

Here’s a photo of the dramatic rescue operation, close to Tybee Island near Savannah, Georgia, on July 16, 2014, with passengers being helped off the stranded Escapade by the Coast Guard. it looks like a bit of a nerve-wracking jump off the ship onto the Coast Guard Response Boat.

The rescued passengers arrived at the Coast Guard cutter, Maria Bray, which was big enough to carry the guests to safety. The passengers must have felt immense relief to be off the stranded ship and on their way home. Everyone was evacuated from the Escapade by late afternoon.

Having shed the weight of the passengers on board, the Escapade dislodged from the sandbank during high tide. The cruise ship subsequently made its way safely back to the marina. Here’s a shot of the craps dice gambling table. The board looks almost immaculate and ready for the next roll of the dice, with clear markings and neatly stacked chips.

Accusations were made of illegal gambling occurring on board the Escapade, as the ship was rumoured to have been too close to shore for betting to be legal. But the operating company cleared the captain following an investigation, according to Abandoned Southeast. The Escapade retained its certification of inspection and continued operating. In this image, upturned chairs, a loose ceiling panel and the cracked front of a slot machine betray the fact the ship has been untouched for years.

Astoundingly, just one year after the first incident, the casino cruise ship ran aground again. Passengers reported the Escapade being stuck for about two hours. The Coast Guard removed the boat’s certificate of inspection so it could no longer operate with passengers. Here’s the glitzy top-deck restaurant, with shimmering mosaic tiles on the bar. Notice the big windows for taking in those sea views, plus the gambling motifs of a heart and spade painted on the walls.

Several years ago, the owners listed the ship for sale for $4 million (£3.2m), according to Abandoned Southeast. No buyer emerged, however, so the Escapade remained empty. In 2016, the Coast Guard ordered the vessel to be moved to avoid Hurricane Matthew. Years of neglect mean the grand old casino boat is in bad shape. It now appears to be for sale for a mere $300,000 (£242k). Let’s hope it can be restored.

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