Remembering The S.S. Catalina

Above, the S.S. Catalina at anchor in Long Beach Harbor as our boat approached.

Early last year, it was announced that the S.S. Catalina ("The Great White Steamer") would be dismantled and sold for scrap. It had partially sunken into the mud of Ensenada Harbor, Mexico.

By now, the old ship is gone. However, I was going through my photo albums today and found a couple of photos of the ship that I took in 1982. The ship was at anchor in Long Beach Harbor at the time. I had completely forgotten that I had taken these photos.



A business associate invited several of us for a lunch cruise on his yacht and we passed by the Catalina during the cruise. The photo above was taken as we closed in.

Two friends and I took the S.S. Catalina to Catalina Island back in July 1974. I remember it being a fun trip and the ship had entertainment and, most importantly, a full bar.