In 2006, a tank inside SS Palo Alto at Seacliff State Beach in Aptos had a narrow opening above a broad compartment of old fuel oil. Birds could enter and struggle to escape. Titan Maritime’s cleanup crew widened that opening to four feet by ten feet. [1]
Oil was not supposed to be there. Authorities had long believed it had all been removed from the concrete ship. But California’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response investigated oiled seabirds and used its Petroleum Chemistry Laboratory to identify the vessel as the source. Its September 2006 announcement linked the oil to 51 dead birds and 19 injured birds since 2004. Deterioration had allowed diving birds into internal compartments. [2]
Where is this place?
SS Palo Alto, Seacliff State Beach, California. This map locates the town or region, not a verified exact historic event site.
The hull had already lived several lives. Built for wartime service but launched in 1919, it was towed to Seacliff in 1929 and converted into an amusement venue. The upper decks acquired a dance floor, café and swimming pool; the business lasted two seasons. [3]
The September cleanup plan proposed screens near the oil tanks. The October completion report instead described the enlarged opening and removal of oil and sediment from a single port-forward bunker tank. It recorded about 505 gallons of oil, 125 cubic yards of oily sand and residue, and the remains of 173 birds and two harbor seals. Those recoveries were a separate count from the earlier investigation’s bird casualties. [1][2]
Fish and Game, State Parks, the Coast Guard and Titan worked under a unified command. The pier reopened in time for the October 14 fireworks show. Inside the emptied tank, the wider opening was intended to let birds get back out. [1]
