Shipwreck · Monterey Bay, California
SS Palo Alto
A concrete tanker built in 1919 for the World War I fleet, finished too late to serve. She was towed to Seacliff and settled on the bottom near shore as an amusement venue, with a pier, a ballroom and a pool; a winter storm cracked the hull about two years after it opened, and later storms broke it further. A January 2023 storm wrecked the pier, which was removed. The ship is closed and is now marine habitat, seen from the beach at Seacliff State Beach in Aptos.
Open in the viewer from Seacliff State Beach, Aptos →
Quick facts
| Type | Shipwreck, concrete oil tanker |
|---|---|
| Lost | 1930 |
| Built | 1919 |
| Position | 36.9695°N, 121.9140°W (approximate, ±30 m) |
| From Seacliff State Beach, Aptos | 281 m (920 ft), bearing 212° SSW |
| Source | NOAA ENC US5CA50M; California State Parks; Wikipedia |
How to see it
Above water and inside the horizon from Seacliff State Beach, Aptos, 281 m (920 ft) away, so on a clear day it can be seen from there, and CoastFinder puts a label on it.
Further reading: SS Palo Alto on Wikipedia.
On the website for now. This shipwreck is in the web viewer first. The CoastFinder app covers the North Carolina coast today; follow @coastfinderapp to hear when more coasts arrive.
Nearby
- Walton LighthouseLighthouse · 7.9 km
- Santa Cruz LighthouseLighthouse · 10 km
- Point Pinos LighthouseLighthouse · 37 km
- Pigeon Point LighthouseLighthouse · 49 km
- Point Sur LighthouseLighthouse · 12.8 m · 74 km
- Point Montara LighthouseLighthouse · 83 km
Not for navigation. Positions and depths come from public charts and records, with their sources named above; they are for looking, not for piloting a boat.