The SS ''Cabrillo'' was a wooden passenger steamship operating in Los Angeles County, California, during the first half of the 20th century. The steamship provided transportation between the Port of Los Angeles and the ports of

Avalon Avalon (; la, Insula Avallonis; cy, Ynys Afallon, Ynys Afallach; kw, Enys Avalow; literally meaning "the isle of fruit r appletrees"; also written ''Avallon'' or ''Avilion'' among various other spellings) is a mythical island featured in the ...

and Two Harbors on Santa Catalina Island.

Passenger ferry use

The Banning brothers of Wilmington, who owned the Wilmington Transportation Company and provided the steamships used to deliver tourists from

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

to the island's city of

, bought the island in 1892. Realizing the need for more luxuriously appointed vessels on the route, the smaller SS ''Hermosa II'' was already under construction, but a decision was reached to next commission a larger ship for the growing number of tourists wishing to visit the island. The SS ''Cabrillo'' was built for the Bannings by shipbuilder William Muller for a cost of nearly $250,000, launched on February 15, 1904, and made her first voyage to Catalina on July 4 of the same year to much fanfare. Nicknamed "The Queen of the South Coast," the 194-foot steamship could carry 1,200 passengers from San Pedro Harbor. Built of Oregon fir and protected by

copper Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkis ...

plates, the ''Cabrillo'' hosted 12 state rooms, 10 crew rooms, a social room,

teak Teak (''Tectona grandis'') is a tropical hardwood tree species in the family Lamiaceae. It is a large, deciduous tree that occurs in mixed hardwood forests. ''Tectona grandis'' has small, fragrant white flowers arranged in dense clusters ( pan ...

and mahogany finishes, and the ability to provide food service to guests. While large for a wood-hulled ferry of that era, need would require the ''Cabrillo'' be superseded by the larger, steel-hulled SS ''Avalon'' and SS ''Catalina'' in the Wilmington Transportation Company fleet.

World War II

With the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, the island was taken over by the U.S. military, and the ships of the Wilmington Transportation Company were conscripted as well. The SS ''Avalon'' was left behind for limited transportation to and from the mainland, while the SS ''Catalina'' and SS ''Cabrillo'' were taken to

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

to serve as troop transports for the

San Francisco Port of Embarkation The San Francisco Port of Embarkation (SFPOE) was a United States Army command responsible for movement of supplies and troops to and from the Pacific during World War II with extensive facilities in the San Francisco area. SFPOE was established ...

. After the war ended, the SS ''Catalina'' was sent back to be used for ferry services to and from the island, while the ''Cabrillo'' continued to be utilized by the U.S. Army, who operated her until around 1947.

Current state

The SS ''Cabrillo'' was put up for sale and subsequently purchased sometime between 1947 and 1950 for use in Northern California as a hospitality establishment, however these plans were unsuccessful. Having been stripped of all machinery and other useful equipment, she was scuttled at Cuttings Wharf on the shores of the

Napa River The Napa River is a river approximately long in the U.S. state of California. It drains a famous wine-growing region called the Napa Valley, in the mountains north of the San Francisco Bay. Milliken Creek and Mt. Veeder watersheds are a few ...

, beginning the final chapter of her life. In the following years, salvage operations continued until the vessel was abandoned, and today, little is left but the hull.

In popular culture

The SS ''Cabrillo'' made a

feature film A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...

appearance, along with

Gary Cooper Gary Cooper (born Frank James Cooper; May 7, 1901May 13, 1961) was an American actor known for his strong, quiet screen persona and understated acting style. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice and had a further three nominations, ...

, Broderick Crawford, and

David Niven James David Graham Niven (; 1 March 1910 – 29 July 1983) was a British actor, soldier, memoirist, and novelist. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance as Major Pollock in '' Separate Tables'' (1958). Niven's other roles ...

, in The Real Glory, where she was outfitted with a dummy, second smokestack during shooting.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cabrillo 1904 ships Ferries of California Steamships of the United States Santa Catalina Island (California) SS Cabrillo SS Cabrillo SS Cabrillo