SS Palo Alto - Aptos, CA - Shipwrecks on Waymarking.com

A Norwegian engineer showed that this seaworthy concrete ship could be built in 1916. During World War I when steel was scarce, concrete was used to build ships. The SS Palo Alto was one of eight tankers built at the Oakland Shipyard, but the war ended before its maiden voyage. With the war over the Navy sold the ship to the Cal-Nevada Stock Company in 1929.

The new owners towed it here to Seacliff, flooded its hold so it would rest on the sandy bottom and then remodeled it to include a dance floor, cafe and a 54 foot swimming pool. Carnival booths were setup on deck. Fishing was good on the pier leading out to it.

Two years later the Seacliff Amusement Corporation developed financial problems and the Palo Alto was stripped of its finery and left to the fishers. Today the Palo Alto serves as an artificial reef for marine life.

Date of Shipwreck: 1929 Type of Boat: Other Military or Civilian: Military Tanker Cause of Shipwreck: Intentionally sunk and developed into an amusement area Accessibility: Nearby pier, when open, allows walkout Diving Permitted: Not Listed

Visit Instructions:
Only log the site if you have visited it personally.
Floating over a site does not qualify as a find if it is a wreck that requires diving - you must have actually visited the site - therefore photos of the site are good.

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log User Rating   07/23/2022 Tootsie.22 visited it 07/29/2016 FolsomNatural visited it

View all visits/logs