The historic SS Palo Alto has been broken to bits by massive waves. Photo: Kevin Johnson/Santa Cruz Sentinel
Santa Cruz County’s historic landmark, the SS Palo Alto, has been demolished by massive waves.
Back in 1919, the concrete ship was built to be a tanker near the end of the first World War. She never saw real service, and a decade later was towed to Seacliff State Beach in Aptos, CA, just a few miles south of Santa Cruz. There, she was partially sunk and a pier was built. A dance floor, swimming pool, and restaurant were installed, and the SS Palo Alto became a glamorous party boat.
The party didn’t last long, however–the company that bought the vessel went bankrupt just a few years later, and the Palo Alto was left to Mother Nature’s destructive power. It wasn’t long before she broke in the middle. Then, she was turned into a fishing pier, but eventually became hazardous to the public and was closed. She then became an artificial reef, which is generally the fate of many man-made things that are too much of a hassle to dispose of.
The San Francisco Bar buoy maxed out with a huge reading of 37.4 feet, which, according to Monterey forecaster Drew Peterson, could mean waves of up to 50 feet. “That could translate to breakers up to 50 feet there,” Peterson said to the Santa Cruz Sentinel. “It’s just an unusual January with this active weather. With the cement ship, we’re starting to see the ramifications.”
