The Palo Alto at sea

The Palo Alto

The Palo Alto was a concrete ship built as a tanker at the end of World War I. She was built by the San Francisco Shipbuilding Company at the U.S. Naval Shipyard in Oakland, California. She was launched on May 29, 1919, too late to see service in the war. Her sister ship was the USS Peralta. The tanker Palo Alto File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... The tanker Palo Alto File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (3072x2048, 1263 KB)The concrete ship SS Palo Alto. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (3072x2048, 1263 KB)The concrete ship SS Palo Alto. ... The concrete tanker USS Palo Alto Interior of concrete ship from World War I. Concrete ships are ships built of concrete instead of more traditional materials, like steel and wood. ... A tanker is a ship designed to transport liquids in bulk. ... World War I was primarily a European conflict with many facets: immense human sacrifice, stalemate trench warfare, and the use of new, devastating weapons - tanks, aircraft, machine guns, and poison gas. ... View of downtown Oakland looking west across Lake Merritt. ... May 29 is the 149th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (150th in leap years). ... 1919 (MCMXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ...

She was mothballed in Oakland until 1929, when she was bought by the Cal-Nevada Company and towed to Seacliff State Beach in Aptos, California. There she was refitted as an amusement ship, with amenities including, a dance floor, swimming pool and a café. A pier was built leading to the ship, and she was sunk a few feet in the water so her keel rested on the bottom. View of downtown Oakland looking west across Lake Merritt. ... 1929 (MCMXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Categories: California State Beaches | Santa Cruz County, California | Stub ... Aptos is a census-designated place located in Santa Cruz County, California. ... 50 meter indoor swimming pool For the 2003 film, see Swimming Pool. ... A pier in Lillebælt, Denmark A pier was originally a raised walkway over water that is supported by piles or pillars, as opposed to a quay or wharf. ... A keel is a large beam around which the hull of a ship is built. ...

The company went bankrupt two years later and the ship cracked at the mid section. She was stripped of her fittings and left as a fishing pier. Eventually she deteriorated to the point were she was unsafe for even this use and was closed to the public. Today she remains at Seacliff Beach and serves as an artificial reef for marine life. Fishing is the activity of hunting for fish. ... A pier in Lillebælt, Denmark A pier was originally a raised walkway over water that is supported by piles or pillars, as opposed to a quay or wharf. ... An artificial reef is a man-made reef, usually built for the purpose of promoting marine life. ... Marine biology is the study of animal and plant life within waterbound ecosystems. ...

External links

• Palo Alto information at ConcreteShips.org
• Palo Alto information at California State Parks website
• Details on the concrete used to build the Palo Alto at the Sandy "History Dude" Lydon's website
• Forever Facing South, The story of the S.S. Palo Alto "The Old Cement Ship" of Seacliff Beach ISBN 0961768134

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