Aboard The S.S. Catalina

Summer is here. I thought this would be a good time to take a look back at another summer when two friends and I went to Catalina Island aboard "The Great White Steamer."

From Wikipedia:

The S.S. Catalina, also known as The Great White Steamer, was a 301-foot steamship built in 1924 that provided passenger service on the 26-mile passage between Los Angeles and Santa Catalina Island from 1924 to 1975. According to the Steamship Historical Society of America, the Catalina has carried more passengers than any other vessel anywhere. The S.S. Catalina also served as a troop ship during World War II, transporting more than 800,000 soldiers and sailors. After a period of service as a floating discotheque, the ship ran aground on a sandbar in Ensenada Harbor in 1997 and remained there half-submerged and decaying for more than a decade.

In January 2009, it was announced that the ship would be cut up for scrap, which has been completed.

July 24, 1974

It was on July 24, 1974 that Max Bettman, Mitch Geriminsky and I took a round-trip cruise to Catalina Island aboard the S.S. Catalina. There were faster, but smaller boats ferrying visitors to the island, but we opted to take the historical S.S. Catalina instead. Besides, the ship had a full bar!

At the time, we were students at El Camino College but were on summer vacation. Little did we know at the time that this would be the next-to-last season of the S.S. Catalina. The owners had financial difficulties, with smaller and faster boats competing for passengers to Catalina Island.

Above, en route to Catalina Island, passengers enjoy the ocean view on the S.S. Catalina's bow.

Above, Mitch Geriminsky (left) and Max Bettman aboard the S.S. Catalina.

Above, the three of us aboard the S.S. Catalina as we headed to Catalina Island. Looks like we all could've used haircuts!

Above, Catalina's Avalon Harbor is in sight as we approached the island.

Above, here I am after getting off the ship. This was my first visit to Catalina Island. I was 20 at the time.

Once we arrived on Catalina Island, we spent the day swimming in Avalon Harbor and did some horseback riding. When we walked to the stables, we had to go through an Avalon neighborhood. It was like being transported 30-40 years back in time as the homes looked like they were time-locked in the 1930s or 1940s.

After a day's worth of fun on Catalina Island, we got back on board the S.S. Catalina for the return trip to the mainland.

1982: Destined For Oblivion

After the 1974 trip to Catalina Island, I hadn't seen the S.S. Catalina until 1982, when a group of us were cruising on a business associate's yacht.

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

Early in 2009, it was announced that the S.S. Catalina would be dismantled and sold for scrap. It had partially sunken into the mud of Ensenada Harbor, Mexico. Preservationists tried to raise funds to re-float the ship and restore it, but they were unable to do so.

The old ship is now gone. Here are a couple of photos of the ship that I took in 1982. The ship was at anchor in Long Beach Harbor at the time, waiting for oblivion in Ensenada Harbor.

Above, 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.

This little song was played aboard the S.S. Catalina as we sailed to Catalina Island: