Did You Know?

Cement Ship

Remnants of the "S.S. Palo Alto." The 435-foot ship was built of concrete by the San Francisco Shipbuilding Co. just after the end of World War I. Originally designed as a tanker, it was part of a wartime effort to reduce the use of steel and iron. The S.S. Palo Alto" was launched in May of 1919, but never saw service; in January of 1930, was intentionally grounded. In 1965, it was sold to the State of California and incorporated into the recreational area known as Seacliff State Beach. The ship is unsafe and is closed to the public, but the pier is open.

beaches, recreation, Santa Cruz County, state parks, tourist attractions

Books

• Forever Facing South
  Forever Facing South: The Story of the S.S. Palo Alto, the "Old Cement Ship" of Seacliff Beach." Heron, David W. Santa Cruz, CA, Otter B Books, 1991.
• Santa Cruz County Place Names
  Santa Cruz County Place Names: A Geographical Dictionary. Clark, Donald Thomas. Santa Cruz, CA, Santa Cruz Historical Society, 1986.

Websites

• California State Parks - Seacliff State Beach
• Concreteships.org
  Provides descriptions and photographs of many concrete ships from WWI and WWII

Last updated by harbisons on April 2, 2009

Disclaimer...

While the Library has verified the information presented in these files in what it considers to be reliable and authoritative sources, it cannot take responsibility for nor guarantee the accuracy of the information presented.