SS Palo Alto

Palo Alto on sea trials, September 10, 1920
History
United States
NameSS Palo Alto
NamesakePalo Alto, California
Owner
  • United States Shipping Board (1919–1924)[1]
  • Oliver J. Olson & Company (1924–unknown)[1]
  • R.C. Porter (unknown–1929)[2]: 25 
  • Seacliff Amusement Company (1929–1932)[2]: 25, 44 
  • Calavada Investment Company[a] (1932–unknown)[2]: 44 
  • Arthur H. Wikkerink and Walter F. Pilgrim (unknown–February 12, 1936)[2]: 47 
  • California (February 12, 1936–present)[2]
BuilderSan Francisco Shipbuilding Company, Oakland, California[3]
Cost$1,794,804.19 ($32.4 million in 2025)[4]
LaunchedMay 29, 1919[3]
Home portSan Francisco, California[5]
Identification
FateGrounded as a fishing pier at Seacliff Beach
General characteristics
TypeDesign 1100 tanker[4]
Tonnage
Length
Beam54 ft (16 m)[7]
Draft26 ft (7.9 m)[3]
Depth35–36 ft (10.7–11.0 m)[5][7]
DecksOne[8]
Installed powerThree Foster boilers fueled by an oil bunker of 278,655 US gal (1,054,820 L; 232,029 imp gal) capacity[9][8][10]
Propulsion
Speed10.5–11 kn (19.4–20.4 km/h; 12.1–12.7 mph)[3][10]
Range7,000 mi (11,000 km) cruising radius[10]
Capacity2,477,000 US gal (9,380,000 L; 2,063,000 imp gal)[10]
Crew40[5]

SS Palo Alto, colloquially known as the Cement Ship, was a concrete ship built as a tanker at the end of World War I. Completed too late to see war service, she was mothballed until 1929, when she was intentionally grounded off Seacliff State Beach in the Monterey Bay, becoming part of a pleasure pier entertainment complex. Palo Alto was damaged by the sea, leading her to be stripped and used only as a fishing pier. Subsequent decades have seen her be further broken by the sea, but large sections of her wreck remain partially intact.

History

SS Palo Alto was built by the San Francisco Shipbuilding Company at Government Island in Oakland, California as part of the World War I Emergency Fleet.[11][3] After the the armistice, any Emergency Fleet ships not already nearing completion were canceled, making the Palo Alto one of only twelve concrete ships to have her work continued.[12]: 76  Pouring of her larsite[b][14] concrete hull began on January 20, 1919.[15] The ship was launched sideways[16] on May 29, 1919,[3][2] she underwent trials on September 10, 1919,[17]: 162  and was delivered that same month.[4] She received her documents on October 23, 1920.[17]: 171  She was the first concrete tanker,[16] and the largest concrete ship yet built at the time.[18]

The Shipping Board put the Palo Alto up for sale even before her delivery.[9] Various claims have been made as to the results of the sale offer,[c] but she remained in mothballs in the Board's possession[17]: 171  in San Francisco until November 1924, when the Shipping Board finally sold her as scrap to Oliver J. Olson & Company for $18,750. ($352,245 in 2025).[1][22][2]: 24  Her documents were subsequently surrendered on June 30, 1926.[17]: 171  Her hulk was later purchased by the Seacliff Amusement Company[a][2]: 25  and towed to what would become Seacliff State Beach in Aptos, California, starting the journey at 4 p.m. January 21, 1930, and arriving at 7 a.m. the next day.[23][2]: 30  Once in position on the 25th, she was scuttled in shallow water near the shore.[2]: 30–33 

Settled on the ocean floor, she was refitted as an amusement ship, with amenities including a dance floor, a swimming pool and a café[2]: 42–44  and had the pier built out to connect the shore to her.[24][2]: 33  The opening event was held in her ballroom on June 21, 1930, and "The Ship"[d] opened publicly on June 28.[2]: 37, 44  In 1932, as a result of the Great Depression, the Seacliff Amusement Company defaulted on its loans and the ship passed to its creditor, Calavada Investment Company.[a][2]: 44  The ship cracked at the midsection during a winter storm later that year.[2]: 46  In 1934, H.R. Lord purchased salvage rights to the Palo Alto from Calavada, dismantling and selling most everything of value.[2]: 47  As part of its efforts in establishing Seacliff State Beach park, California purchased the ship for $1 in 1936,[24][2]: 47  and she became a fishing pier.[2]: 47 

As a pier, she was a popular site for recreational fishing,[24][2]: 52  but her deterioration led to troubles. Her foredeck was closed for being unsafe in 1958,[2]: 47  her masts were cut down in 1959,[15][2]: 47  and a 1963 storm split the hull along the 1932 crack,[15][2]: 52  and a January 1978 storm caused parts of her to start listing.[2]: 52  A demolition effort was considered in 1978,[15] and after a 1980 storm damaged the pier leading to her,[15] the ship was closed to the public.[2]: 53  A 1983 grassroots repair effort led to the ship reopening again on July 23, 1983.[15][2]: 57  Ongoing deteriorating led to the ship closing again for a time in 1986.[2]: 61 

Since being placed, the Palo Alto has effectively become an artificial reef for marine life. Pelicans and other seabirds perch on the wreck,[24] sea perch and other fish feed on algae that grow in the shelter of the wreck,[24] and sea lions and other marine mammals visit the wreck to feed on the fish.[24] But in the mid-2000s, an oil spill that had been deadly to dozens of seabirds was traced back to the ship, her fuel tanks having cracked and leaked fuel oil.[24] In September 2006, a cleanup project was started that cost $1.8 million ($2.69 million in 2025).[27] During the cleanup, workers pumped 500 US gal (1,900 L; 420 imp gal) of oil from the ship and discovered the carcasses of 200 more birds and two harbor seals inside the wreck.[28]

The ship began to roll more severely to the starboard in early 2016,[29] and the entire ship plus parts of the pier were closed to the public once again in the summer of 2016.[15][30] On January 21, 2017, another winter storm tore the stern off the ship.[31] On January 5, 2023, another winter storm destroyed portions of the pier leading to the ship,[32] leading the state to begin removal of the pier on March 20, 2023, and completing it in May.[33]

  • SS Palo Alto in July 2012 when she was still largely congruent on one axis
  • An aerial view of the wreck Palo Alto in 2013
  • Overhead view of SS Palo Alto in July 2019
  • The Palo Alto after the pier was removed due to damage from the 2022–2023 California floods
  • Design 1100 inboard profile and hold plans
  • Design 1100 deck plans

Footnotes

  1. ^ a b c Seacliff Amusement Corporation is sometimes conflated with Calavada, and misidentified as Cal-Neva or Cal-Nevada.[2]: 33 
  2. ^ A type of light-aggregate clay concrete named after its inventor, Gus Larson.[13]
  3. ^ She was reported as bid on,[19][15] chartered,[12]: 78  owned,[10] sold,[20] and controlled or owned.[21]
  4. ^ A name by which it would continue to be known for some time,[25] and eventually becoming the "Cement Ship".[26]

References

  1. ^ a b c Ninth Annual Report of the United States Shipping Board (PDF) (Report). Government Printing Office. 1925. p. 165. Retrieved March 19, 2026.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa Heron, David W. (2002). Forever Facing South, The Story of the S.S. Palo Alto "The Old Cement Ship" of Seacliff Beach. Santa Cruz, California: Otter B Books. ISBN 0-9617681-3-4.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g "1919 Record of U.S. Yards". The Marine Review. 50 (2): 119. February 1920. LCCN 40007286. Retrieved March 18, 2026.
  4. ^ a b c Hearings Before the Select Committee To Inquire Into the Operations, Policies, and Affairs of the United States Shipping Board and the United States Emergency Fleet Corporation, House of Representatives, Sixty-Eighth Congress, First Session, Pursuant To House Resolution 186: Exhibits to Testimony, Part C (Report). Government Printing Office. 1925. p. 2075. LCCN 44033164. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h Department of Commerce Bureau of Navigation (1921). Part II: Steam Vessels, Alphabetically Arranged. Fifty-third Annual List of Merchant Vessels of the United States (Report). United States Government Publishing Office. p. 148. LCCN sn88028129. OCLC 09336739. Retrieved March 18, 2026.
  6. ^ "Graded Aggregate: Concrete Ships". Concrete: A Monthly Magazine of the Construction Field. 23 (2). Detroit, Michigan: Concrete-Cement Age Publishing: 75–76. August 1923. OCLC 3382999. Retrieved March 17, 2026.
  7. ^ a b c d e 12152-20. No. 36. Register of Ships Owned by the United States Shipping Board (Report). United States Shipping Board. August 1, 1920. Retrieved March 18, 2026.
  8. ^ a b c d Lloyd's Register of Shipping, 1921–1922. Vol. II Steamers. London, England: Lloyd's Register. p. 954. Retrieved March 18, 2026.
  9. ^ a b "Concrete Tankers for Sale". New-York Tribune. Vol. LXXX, no. 26920. July 30, 1920. p. 9. ISSN 1941-0646. LCCN sn83030214. OCLC 9405688. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
  10. ^ a b c d e Department of Commerce Bureau of Navigation (1923). Steam vessels, alphabetically arranged. Fifty-fifth Annual List of Merchant Vessels of the United States 1923 (Report). Government Printing Office. p. 486. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
  11. ^ "The New Cement Ship Palo Alto". The Lakeland Evening Telegram. Vol. VIII, no. 241. Associated Press. August 13, 1919. p. 1. LCCN sn95047222. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
  12. ^ a b Fougner, Nikolay Knudtzon (1922). Seagoing and Other Concrete Ships. London: Henry Frowde and Hodder & Stoughton. OCLC 1084851042. Retrieved March 17, 2026.
  13. ^ "In the Wake of the News". Brick and Clay Record. 57 (1). Kenfield-Leach Company: 327. August 24, 1920. Retrieved March 21, 2026.
  14. ^ "Brick Ship, Latest Wonder, Launched". The Richmond Palladium and Sun-Telegram. Richmond, Indiana. June 20, 1919. p. 7. ISSN 2572-8911. LCCN sn86058226. OCLC 13085166. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
  15. ^ a b c d e f g h Gibson, Ross Eric (January 22, 2023). "The history of Seacliff's Cement Ship". Santa Cruz Sentinel. Retrieved March 21, 2026.
  16. ^ a b "Graphic Section". New-York Tribune. Vol. LXXIX, no. 26509. June 15, 1919. part six, page 3. ISSN 1941-0646. LCCN sn83030214. OCLC 9405688. Retrieved March 21, 2026.
  17. ^ a b c d Haviland, Jean (July 1962). "American Concrete Steamers of the First and Second World War". The American Neptune. XXII (3). Salem, Massachusetts: The American Neptune: 157–183. ISSN 0003-0155. LCCN 42021546. OCLC 1480480. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
  18. ^ ""Floating Rock" Launches New Ship Era". Atlanta Semi-Weekly Journal. Vol. XXI, no. 80. p. 3. LCCN sn86090947. Retrieved March 21, 2026.
  19. ^ "Bids Opened On Two Shipping Board Tankers". The Washington Herald. No. 5049. August 25, 1920. ISSN 1941-0662. LCCN sn83045433. OCLC 9470809. Retrieved March 21, 2026.
  20. ^ "Sell Two Concrete Ships". The Manitowoc Pilot. Vol. 62, no. 19. November 4, 1920. p. 3. ISSN 2576-5701. LCCN sn85033139. OCLC 11695644. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
  21. ^ "American Fuel Oil & Refining Company Among Leaders in Oil". The Liberal Democrat. Vol. XIV, no. 12. August 5, 1920. p. 8. ISSN 2329-2628. LCCN sn85029856. OCLC 12574457. Retrieved March 21, 2026.
  22. ^ Department of Commerce Bureau of Navigation (1926). Vessels Abandoned, Reduced Below 5 Tons, Or Removed for Other Causes (PDF). Merchant Vessels of the United States (Report). United States Government Publishing Office. p. 859. LCCN sn88028129. OCLC 09336739. Retrieved March 18, 2026.
  23. ^ Mather, Bryant (January 1970). Examples of Performance of Reinforced Concrete in Maritime Exposures. Behavior of Concrete Exposed to the Sea (Report). Defense Technical Information Center. p. 9.
  24. ^ a b c d e f g Guarino, Ben (January 23, 2017). "Historic concrete ship S.S. Palo Alto smashed in half by record Calif. storm waves". Washington Post. Archived from the original on April 14, 2019. Retrieved March 18, 2026.
  25. ^ "State Extends Seacliff Beach Park". Santa Cruz Sentinel. Vol. 86, no. 6. July 12, 1932. section 2, page 7. ISSN 1531-0817. OCLC 44628929. Retrieved March 21, 2026.
  26. ^ Matthew Renda (May 29, 2019). "'Cement ship' (SS Palo Alto) reaches a century". Santa Cruz Sentinel. Retrieved August 19, 2020 – via San Jose Mercury News.
  27. ^ Expenditures From the Fund Have Generally Trended Upward and Are Mostly for Readiness, Prevention, and Administrative Support Activities (PDF). Office of Spill Prevention and Response: It Has Met Many of Its Oversight and Response Duties, but Interaction With Local Government, the Media, and Volunteers Needs Improvement (Report). California State Auditor. August 2008. p. 55. Retrieved March 19, 2026.
  28. ^ Bryers, Mikaela (July 25, 2015). "'Cement Ship' Remains a Central Coast Landmark". The Monterey County Herald. Archived from the original on January 26, 2017. Retrieved March 21, 2026.
  29. ^ Baine, Wallace (February 15, 2016). "As it nears its 100th birthday, the SS Palo Alto is one step closer to ruin". Santa Cruz Sentinel. Archived from the original on June 22, 2017. Retrieved March 22, 2026.
  30. ^ "Visiting Seacliff". Archived from the original on April 25, 2019. Retrieved March 21, 2026.
  31. ^ "Cement Ship in Santa Cruz County torn apart by massive waves". San Jose Mercury News. January 22, 2017. Retrieved January 23, 2017.
  32. ^ Regimbal, Alec (January 5, 2023). "Dock to Santa Cruz 'cement ship' destroyed amid storm waves". SFGate. Retrieved March 18, 2026.
  33. ^ "Seacliff State Beach: Is that a ship?". California Department of Parks and Recreation. Retrieved March 21, 2026.
  • Media related to SS Palo Alto at Wikimedia Commons
  • Palo Alto information at ConcreteShips.org

36°58′10.75″N 121°54′50.31″W / 36.9696528°N 121.9139750°W / 36.9696528; -121.9139750

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