SS Catala

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The S.S. Catala was laid down in Glasgow, Scotland in 1925. It spent most of its operating career serving the western coast of Canada. In 1958 she was sold to new owners for use as a fish-buying ship. During the 1962 World's Fair in Seattle she was used as a floating "boatel" moored at the Seattle waterfront. After the Fair, she was towed to California and used as a floating restaurant. In 1963 she was brought back north to Ocean Shores, Washington and used as a "boatel" again until she was driven aground by a storm on New Year's Day 1965. Efforts to refloat her failed, and she was left to decay at the beach on Damon Point. Over the years she was vandalized and pillaged, and in the late 1980's a girl fell through a rusted portion of her deck, breaking her back. Her family sued the State of Washington, which in turn ordered the wreck cut up. The Catala was cut down to sand level and buried, until a series of winter storms unburied her in the late 1990's. She was gradually more and more uncovered for several years, until in April 2006 a beachcomber noticed that oil was leaking from the wreck. The State of Washington has cordoned off the wreck, and cleanup activities are in progress. She is currently being removed from the beach, in order to protect the local ecosystem. Several endangered bird species nest in the area, including the snowy plover.

External links

SS Catala Shipwreck page - Washington State Department of Ecology

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Last updated on Friday January 25, 2008 at 08:40:32 PST (GMT -0800)
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