Concrete ship, Seacliff beach, California

In 1910 a Norwegian civil engineer named Fougner thought of using

concrete to build ships. It wasn't until 1917, when wartime steel

shortages required the use of cement for construction that Fougner's

idea was used. Three concrete ships were built at the U.S. Naval

Shipyard in Oakland, California. These ships were the Faith, the

Peralta, and the Palo Alto. The Peralta and the Palo Alto were built

for wartime use as tankers, however World WarOne ended before ship

construction was finished -- so they were never used. The Palo Alto

remained docked in Oakland until 1929, when the Cal-Nevada Company

bought the ship with the idea of making her into an amusement and

fishing ship. Her maiden voyage was made under tow to Seacliff State

Beach. Once positioned at the beach, the sea cocks were opened and the

Palo Alto settled to the ocean bottom. By the summer of 1930 a pier

had been built leading to the ship, the ship was remodeled. A dance

floor on the main deck was added, also a cafe in the superstructure

was built, as was a fifty-four foot heated swimming pool, and a series

of carnival type concessions were placed on the afterdeck. The

Cal-Nevada Company went broke after two seasons -- then the Palo Alto

was stripped, leaving the ship and the pier used only for fishing.