‘THE CEMENT SHIP’ WILL LIE IN STATE
The SS Palo Alto, a landmark state parks attraction on Monterey Bay, was torn apart over the weekend by record-high waves
Torn apart by pounding storm waves over the weekend, the SS Palo Alto, a 434-foot-long landmark at Seacliff State Beach in Aptos that has been known for 87 years as “the cement ship,” will not be hauled away, dynamited or repaired, state parks officials said Monday.
Instead, it will go down as one of the casualties of the Winter of 2017, just like the historic drive-through sequoia tree that collapsed earlier this month during torrential rains at Calaveras Big Trees State Park in Calaveras County.
“Barring any threat to public safety, the plan is to let nature take its course,” said Bill Wolcott, public safety superintendent with the Santa Cruz District of the California Department of Parks and Recreation.
On Monday, a steady stream of people walked along the beach, which was deep with broken trees and driftwood, to see the wrecked landmark. Many took photos and video.
“It’s crazy,” said David Carlon, a
pharmacy technician from Watsonville. “I couldn’t believe it when I saw it. That ship is a big part of the history of Santa Cruz. As a kid, I used to tag along out on it with my aunts and uncles and my little fishing pole.”
The former steamship, which is actually made of concrete, was built as an oil tanker in Oakland in 1919 when steel was in short supply. It was not completed in time for the war, however, and was purchased by the Seacliff Amusement Company and towed to the beach at Aptos, 10 miles south of Santa Cruz, and deliberately sunk in 1930.
A 500-foot-long wooden fishing pier was built out to the vessel, and it was converted into a tourist destination with a big neon sign. Top big bands like Benny Goodman, Paul Whiteman and Tommy Dorsey’s orchestras played at the ship’s Rainbow Ballroom with its white ash dance floor. There was a restaurant called the Fish Palace and a swimming pool.
But the Depression ruined hopes of promoters to build a hotel, residential community and other amenities on the coastal bluffs. The company went bankrupt, and the California state parks department began purchasing the land and later bought the ship in 1936 for $1. For decades, the public was allowed to wander out onto its decks. But as time, thousand of birds and the sea degraded it, eventually the ship was closed nearly 20 years ago. It remained well known to millions of visitors and locals over generations, and the pier continues to be a popular fishing spot for anglers trying to land surf perch in a spot where brown pelicans regularly drift overhead and sea lions and dolphins swim near the shore.
On Saturday, as waves reached a record 34 feet high in Monterey Bay, a section of the ship’s stern about 50 feet long broke off from the main hull and flipped on its side. The ship had been damaged last February during other large storms.
Breaking up the massive broken concrete pieces now and hauling them away would cost millions of dollars, said Wolcott, and repairing it is even less feasible.
“Since the day that it was brought to Aptos, it’s been under wear and tear by the forces of nature,” Wolcott said. “It’s been slowly deteriorating over time.”
The doomed vessel will be left to become an artificial reef for fish and other creatures, he added, and will likely take decades to eventually break up entirely and be taken back by the ocean. Another reason to leave the waves to slowly do the job: The ship is part of the community’s identity, he said.
“The ship still remains an icon and a symbol for Aptos and that beach. There is a significant amount of history there. It’s a landmark,” he said. “It’s remarkable. The visual impact of seeing something that big damaged by a storm that strong was surprising. Many of us, including myself, remember going out there as a kid and fishing.”
Carolyn Brock, a Seattle resident who was visiting family in the area, walked the beach Monday and wondered if the ruins of the ship would break up more this winter.
“I hope it doesn’t wreck the pier,” she said. “I remember first seeing it 10 years ago. It’s changed. A lot.”
On Monday, Seacliff State Beach remained officially closed due to damage from the storm, including a sinkhole on the main entrance road, downed trees and landslides near the RV campground, which was closed last Thursday for safety. The pier also will remain closed for weeks until a contractor can get out in a boat and underwater gear to assess whether the punishing storms compromised its structural integrity, Wolcott said.
The beach is still accessible, however, by people walking from other shoreline areas, such as Rio Del Mar, or coming down a set of wooden stairs just south of the main park entrance.