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Santa Cruz ‘cement ship’ breaks from dock amid Calif. storm

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On Thursday, the famous “cement ship” docked in Santa Cruz County broke away from the pier at Seacliff State Beach amid massive waves that also destroyed parts of the dock, according to posts on social media. 

Photos on Twitter show the ship, whose official name is the SS Palo Alto, drifting into the waters of Monterey Bay. Social media users lamented the fate of the ship that has been an attraction in the Santa Cruz County town of Aptos for nearly 100 years. 

“What a shame. I remember my mother and I fishing off that ship back in the 50s,” one user wrote

A reporter from KRON4 said on Twitter the waves hammering the ship range between 25 and 35 feet tall, and mark the largest swell of the winter thus far. Another user posted a video of waves shredding parts of what looks to be the Aptos Pier, where the ship had been docked. 

The SS Palo Alto was commissioned by the San Francisco Shipbuilding Company for use as an oil tanker during World War I, but was only completed in 1919 after the war ended. After spending 10 years docked in Oakland, the ship was purchased by the Seacliff Amusement Corporation in 1929 and towed to Seacliff State Beach, where it was used as amusement ship. Its amenities included a dance floor, a swimming pool and a cafe.

Seacliff State Park, California, 1945. The S.S. Palo Alto in Aptos, known as the "cement ship," broke away from its dock Thursday morning amid massive storm waves. (Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)

Seacliff State Park, California, 1945. The S.S. Palo Alto in Aptos, known as the “cement ship,” broke away from its dock Thursday morning amid massive storm waves. (Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)

Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images

The state purchased the ship for $1 and stripped it of its valuables after its owners went broke during the Great Depression, and since then the “cement ship” — which is actually made of concrete — has been mostly used as a fishing pier and an artificial reef for marine life. Split in two at the hull and partly submerged beneath the water, the ship has been closed to foot traffic since 2016. 



The waves that ripped the SS Palo Alto from the pier at Seacliff State Beach are the result of a powerful winter storm, known as an atmospheric river, that is pummeling California’s coast. On Wednesday, the storm killed at least two people, including one infant, triggered widespread power outages and evacuations and raised concerns about flooding. 

This isn’t the first time the SSPalo Alto has made headlines amidst a storm. In 2017, waves from an El Niño storm further split the ship and tossed the dislodged stern onto its side. 

Full Bay Area Storm Coverage



 

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