Nicolas Grevet  •  Photography

The SS Palo Alto was a concrete ship built as a tanker at the end of World War I. She was launched too late to ever see service in the war and was bought and towed to Seacliff State Beach in Aptos, California. She was sunk and refitted as an amusement ship, with amenities including a dance floor, a swimming pool and a café. The company went bankrupt two years later, and the ship cracked at the midsection. She was stripped of her fittings and left as a fishing pier. Eventually she deteriorated to the point where she was unsafe for this purpose and was closed to the public. Today she remains at Seacliff Beach and serves as an artificial reef for marine life.