The Palo Alto

When we went to the beach on Tuesday, we went to Seacliff State Park. Once we got to the beach, we couldn't help but notice a shipwrecked-looking ship attached to the pier. In the above picture you can see it in the distance. I love a good story and I needed to figure out the history of this ship.

The Palo Alto is a concrete ship that was built as a tanker to be used in WWI. It was built by the San Francisco Shipbuilding Company in Oakland, CA for $1,500,000. She was launched on May 19, 1918 - too late to be used in the War and so she just set. She was bought by the Seacliff Amusement Corporation and taken to Seacliff State Beach a few years later. A pier was built leading to the ship and she was fitted as an amusement ship. It had a dance floor, heated swimming pool, and a cafe.

I am sure it was quite a sight to behold and many glamorous people found their way to this ship, but after just 2 seasons, the company went broke because of the Great Depression. That winter, after a big storm, the ship cracked at it's midsection. The ship was stripped of all its finery and sold to the State of California for $1. It became a fishing pier. As the ship deteriorated, she became unsafe and closed to the public. Now, she remains and serves as an artificial reef for marine life.


If you are into humanizing non-living objects like I am, what a sad life for this ship. To only be used for it's intended purpose for a short while, to live a glamorous life for a couple more years and then for the rest of the time not be used at all. I wonder if there are people who feel that way. They have had a couple glamorous years, but the rest of the time they have been used and abused by people and now they feel ugly, harsh and cruel. Fear not! God loves you no matter where you have been. 1 John 4:9-11 says, "In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another."

Obviously, this ship is not human. One day it will all be swept away. It is just a thing. Just think of all the money that went into building this great ship and now look at it. It is not worth anything. Thankfully it is not the same for those who have accepted Jesus as their Savior, we were bought at a price and now we are God's. (1 Corinthians 6:20)

If you are ever at Sea Cliff State Park. Take a look at the ship. Remember the cost.