One of my favorite places in the world is Seacliff Beach. It is home to S.S. Palo Alto, locally known as “The Cement Ship.” Built as a tanker for World War I in 1919 by the San Fransisco Shipbuilding Company, the S.S. Palo Alto was completed too late for war and ten years later purchased by the Seacliff Amusement Corporation and towed to Seacliff State Beach in Aptos, California. 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. There she was refitted as an amusement ship, with amenities including a dance floor, swimming pool and a café.
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.*
*some text from website
