(APTOS, Calif.) — Pounding surf on Saturday tore the stern off the historic SS Palo Alto, a crumbling World War I-era tanker nicknamed the "Cement Boat" for its construction, The Washington Post reported. Since 1930, the ship has been a symbol of Santa Cruz County, sitting at the end of a pier that juts into Monterey Bay. Record waves that reached 34 feet over the weekend snapped a section of Palo Alto nearest to shore from the rest of the ship. The 420-foot vessel, made of concrete reinforced with steel by the San Francisco Shipbuilding Co., was commissioned for World War I but never served. It was scuttled in 1929 and became a tourist destination.
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