Wednesday, July 6, 2016

SearchResearch Challenge (7/6/16): Where's the ship in the pic?

Sometimes a photo doesn't just give up its secrets. 

In this week's Challenge, I heard a great story about a nearby place, and went to visit it.  Somehow, I missed the thing I was sent to find.  As you know, sometimes you have to search a bit to learn what all is going on. 

Here's a photo I took on June 30th.  I took it because I'd heard there was a concrete ship somewhere near here... and that surprised me.  A ship made out of concrete?  How would that ever work?  

But I drove to the designated place, and didn't understand.  Where's the ship in this image? 

A mystery at a beach in an undisclosed location.  If you want the original photo, here's a link to it.

The story I heard about this ship was (A) it's somewhere near here, (B) it's made of concrete, and (C) it wasn't the only ship made out of concrete!  Really? Let's turn these questions into this week's SearchResearch Challenge! 

1. In the above photo, where's the ship?  More specifically, what's the name of the ship? 
2. Were other ships made of concrete by the same outfit that made this ship?  If so, what are their names and where are they now? 
3.  I DO know that this area is popular with sharks.  What kind of sharks would be here?  Any recent sightings?  (I ask because I was thinking about going for a quick dive here.  Should I?)  

(and... an extra credit Challenge) 

4.  Not only are sharks somewhere nearby now, but apparently they've been in this area for a loong time.  What evidence can you find that sharks have been near here for a long time? 

This is a fun Search Challenge.  (Let's put it this way, I had way too much fun answering these Challenge questions.  I suspect you will too.)  

Search on! 


19 comments:

  1. Here is my search
    path
    .

    I don't want to ruin the fun for others.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Starting logically enough with "concrete ships" I found "McCloskey Ships" - http://www.concreteships.org/ships/ First built as steel was running short at the end of WWI. They weren't finished before the end of the war and were sunk as piers or breakwaters (that's where the ship is in the photo - underwater). There are breakwaters in Oregon, Canada, Tampa and in the Chesapeake Bay.

    So which is this? The trees don't look like Tampa. Looking at the photo galleries provided in the above links, it looks like the Powell River, Canada site. There are news stories about a Great White Shark in the area last year - http://www.duaneburnett.com/18586/great-white-shark-causes-frenzy-on-sunshine-coast-bc



    ReplyDelete
  3. Good day, Dr. Russell and everyone. Post 1/2

    For Q1

    Search by image your image adding [ "concrete ship" sharks]

    Have you ever seen a ship made out of Concrete? Concrete ships in peace and war.

    Technically the proper term is ferrocement, and there is a 1855 French patent that applies to boat building using ferrocement. Joseph-Louis Lambo built a dingy in 1848 that was exhibited at the 1855 Paris World Fair.

    Site links to here (Concrete ships : a possible solution of the shipping problem) archive.org

    Google suggested some possible ships with possible results tried:

    [SS Palo Alto] in Google maps. Searched images and found it is possible.

    [Exif data] with full image shows results that confirm site.

    [concrete ship ss palo alto]

    The Palo Alto was built as an oil tanker by the San Francisco Shipbuilding Company in Oakland, California and launched May 29, 1919 Site also helps to answer Q2

    For Q3 and Q4

    [Sharks "Seacliff Beach"] + Search Tools, last month

    Life in the Monterey Bay has been busy over the last few weeks with shark sightings. Earlier this week, there were signs posted in Capitola warning beachgoers about sharks. (6/9/2016)

    Group of great white sharks spotted at Seacliff Beach in Aptos, May 17, 2016

    “They are in the exact same spot as last year, next to the Cement Ship,”

    [shark real time alert] [shark real time tracking] Maps with information but is in Australia.

    Shark Tracking, not California

    [seacliff beach sharks history] in books

    The Monterey Bay Shoreline Guide
    By Jerry Emory
    Department of Fish and Game records tell us that from 1926 to mid-1989, ... attacks. And books tells about Pelagic Shark Research Foundation

    [define pelagic] to learn and understand that new word.

    [shark attacks fire and game department]


    Sharing the Water with Sharks: Awareness and Education are Key

    And that links to Initiated in 1958, there are now more than 5,800 individual investigations housed in the File, covering the period from the mid-1500s to the present.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Post 2/2

    Answers

    1. In the above photo, where's the ship? More specifically, what's the name of the ship?
    The ship is in Seacliff Beach in Aptos, California. It is called SS Palo Alto

    2. Were other ships made of concrete by the same outfit that made this ship? If so, what are their names and where are they now?

    A:Ship had a sister. S. S. Peralta

    3. I DO know that this area is popular with sharks. What kind of sharks would be here? Any recent sightings? (I ask because I was thinking about going for a quick dive here. Should I?)

    A: Great whithe Sharks. Some young white sharks were spotted in previous weeks.

    (and... an extra credit Challenge)

    4. Not only are sharks somewhere nearby now, but apparently they've been in this area for a loong time. What evidence can you find that sharks have been near here for a long time?

    A: At the moment, just the book in which we can read attacks have been present since 1926

    Map of California's Confirmed Unprovoked Shark Attacks Of course, sharks can be in water in peace but at least we know for sure they are in California waters since 1926.

    Additional data and statistics

    Glad Remmij and Fred are back with us!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good day, Dr. Russell and everyone.

      For Q1

      Search by image your image adding [ "concrete ship" sharks]

      Have you ever seen a ship made out of Concrete? Concrete ships in peace and war.

      Technically the proper term is ferrocement, and there is a 1855 French patent that applies to boat building using ferrocement. Joseph-Louis Lambo built a dingy in 1848 that was exhibited at the 1855 Paris World Fair.

      Site links to here (Concrete ships : a possible solution of the shipping problem) archive.org

      Google suggested some possible ships with possible results tried:

      [SS Palo Alto] in Google maps. Searched images and found it is possible.

      [Exif data] with full image shows results that confirm site.

      [concrete ship ss palo alto]

      The Palo Alto was built as an oil tanker by the San Francisco Shipbuilding Company in Oakland, California and launched May 29, 1919 Site also helps to answer Q2

      For Q3 and Q4

      [Sharks "Seacliff Beach"] + Search Tools, last month

      Life in the Monterey Bay has been busy over the last few weeks with shark sightings. Earlier this week, there were signs posted in Capitola warning beachgoers about sharks. (6/9/2016)

      Group of great white sharks spotted at Seacliff Beach in Aptos, May 17, 2016

      “They are in the exact same spot as last year, next to the Cement Ship,”

      [shark real time alert] [shark real time tracking] Maps with information but is in Australia.

      Shark Tracking, not California

      [seacliff beach sharks history] in books

      The Monterey Bay Shoreline Guide
      By Jerry Emory
      Department of Fish and Game records tell us that from 1926 to mid-1989, ... attacks. And books tells about Pelagic Shark Research Foundation

      [define pelagic] to learn and understand that new word.

      [shark attacks fire and game department]


      Sharing the Water with Sharks: Awareness and Education are Key

      And that links to Initiated in 1958, there are now more than 5,800 individual investigations housed in the File, covering the period from the mid-1500s to the present.

      Delete
    2. [concrete ship naval history]

      Did You Know? Concrete Ships Were Built During WWI & WWII – Only a Handful Survive Concrete ship construction image on page 2.

      The Naval History and HNSA Guide to U.S. Museum Ships In the U.S. there are 164 ships, members of the Historic Naval Ships Association, the public can visit. Shows map but our ship is not mentioned in it.

      the design of concrete ships during WWI had some challenges

      The SS Palo Alto (“The Cement Boat”), was used as a fishing pier but has now been closed due to deterioration. Links to photo of ship when active and to the California Parks and Recreation Seacliff State Beach page.

      SS Palo Alto Aerial view video

      A ship made of concrete. Seacliff State Beach near Santa Cruz. Video

      Greetings, Remmij! Hope you doing great!

      Delete
  5. So, first stop Jeffery's where we learn exactly where you are.
    second [ferro cement rio del mar beach] where we find many hits.
    SS Palo Alto is sunk at the end of the pier.

    [San Francisco ship building concrete ships] Sister ship is SS Peralta. However we learn that concreteships.org tells us a lot more: There were 12 ships made of concrete in WW1, which proved impractical. Peralta is still floating nearby me in Powell River as a breakwater

    SF Ship Building also built SS Faith is now breakwater in Cuba --wikipedia which has a great history of this material under 'concrete ship'

    Looks like this outfit built 3 ships of the 12 that were built for WW1

    [Seacliff Beach in Aptos, California shark sighting] finds a dozen juvenile great white have been seen by May 16 anyway. No worries, say the heroes.

    Sharkeology finds Mobile Ranger telling us shark fossils found date the presence to 3Ma to 7Ma.

    Related to all this is Project Habakkuk which planned to build an aircraft carrier from Pyecrete. FMOK and now Wikipedia too

    Great fun, well done, jon tU

    ReplyDelete
  6. 4. (extra credit) Around where I live we can go to the shores of the Chesapeake Bay fossil hunting for shark teeth. So my search focused on that. Took a bit longer than finding the answers for the previous questions and connecting the dots since I don't know the area. Here is my search path.

    ReplyDelete
  7. 1. SS Palo Alto located at Seacliff State Beach in Aptos, California.
    2. Yes. SS Faith (First Concrete Ship of the United States, now a breakwater in Cuba),
    3. a dozen Great White sharks were spotted May 18, 2016. In late June 2015, as many as 15 Great Whites were spotted near the beach. I wouldn't take a dip.
    4. Fossils can be found within the sandstone cliffs near the beach.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Well I did my search and added my comments directly in the comments box forgetting that sometimes these comments can disappear. So I will recap my search from memory.

    Using an extension EXIF data capture I click on the original image & click on geo location obtaining the coordinates. 36°58'09.0"N 121°54'21.4"W giving us a google earth image of Soquel Cove. After panning around I see the ship.
    Query [soquel cove concrete ship] http://bit.ly/srs_July_7_2016_ship based on details
    we see sister ships Peralta and Faith.
    Query [ss peralta] http://bit.ly/srs_July7_Peralta now in Powell River
    Query [ss faith] [concrete ships] http://www.concreteships.org/ lots of info and Wikipedia site https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concrete_ship
    Using Control F I find ss Faith "She was used to carry bulk cargo for trade until 1921, when she was sold and scrapped as a breakwater in Cuba." To confirm I search further and find a link back to Concrete Ship History but wording is exactly the same so now I know the source used at Wikipedia.
    I did find news stories reporting sharks spotted in the area. As well there are many sites that organize dives in the area so its diver beware.

    Looking at the map in EXIF data I see Santa Cruz is nearby so query [study of shark fossils in santa cruz california] and find this tidbit of info on the history of the general area suggesting the formations from millions of years ago and the ocean seabed exposed fossils. I would check out http://www.santacruzmuseum.org/ for further info.

    ReplyDelete
  9. searching further —
    in the comments section - comment by Radiatidon (⌘F to find) - pretty good summary of the 12 concrete ships… good srs reminder to check site comments
    the SS Cape Fear was a cautionary tale,
    the S.S. Sapona had a Bermuda Triangle connection…
    from Damn Interesting
    the SS Eastland article is also good… about a bad shipping event – Chicago style…
    (a little reminiscent of the SS Normandie)

    interesting pics of ferro fleet, ⌘F SS Palo Alto
    a novel ferroboat purpose:
    "Oh, they also built one barge who’s sole purpose was to produce ice cream for the Pacific soldiers. She was able to produced over 1,500 gallons every hour."
    see ice cream barge

    just for fun… add Great Whites/Sea Lions as needed
    concrete man
    コンクリートマン

    ReplyDelete
  10. Another just for fun that cost $100 million apparently.

    http://mashable.com/2016/07/08/noah-ark-replica-opens/#9LIyVqGVnmqW

    jon tU

    ReplyDelete
  11. off subject, but since tech, traffic signals, bicycles, etc. have all been srs subjects… and it is a hot, slow Sunday evening here in
    's-Hertogenbosch
    what would Henk think?

    …and libraries too

    ReplyDelete
  12. Approximate time = 1 hour and 20 min
    Answers:
    1- Ships = SS Palo Alto in aptos california
    SS Peralta Powell River in British Columbia.
    SS Faith the SS Faith ended as a breakwater in Cuba
    2- Types= Great white shark
    3- Recent sightings=
    May 2018
    *https://www.ktvu.com/news/15-great-white-sharks-spotted-near-cement-ship-in-aptos

    https://www.ksbw.com/article/watch-great-white-sharks-return-to-the-shores-of-seacliff-state-beach/32420073#

    Feb 2020
    https://www.timesheraldonline.com/2021/02/09/great-white-shark-numbers-increase-significantly-in-monterey-bay/
    Evidence that sharked lived nearby a long time ago
    “The fossil outcrop dates back 3 million to 5 million years and contains shells, shark teeth and remains of marine mammals. The formation also is notoriously unstable, making fossil hunting or even strolling the beach risky.”
    A guide to the fossils of santra cruz countyhttps://www.santacruzmuseum.org/fossils-of-santa-cruz-county/
    “Though there are outcrops of this formation north of Santa Cruz, within the County this formation can be found from where Merced Avenue intersects West Cliff Drive in Santa Cruz down to the cliffs of Seacliff State Beach.”
    https://www.santacruzmuseum.org/fossils-of-santa-cruz-county/




    Steps:
    Where is the ship?
    1- Find the coordinates of where the photo was taken then search coordinates in google maps. The result is Aptos, California
    2- Search for concrete ship+ alo palto
    Other ships from the same outifit?
    Other ships
    3- search “san fransico shipbuilding company”+ concrete ship
    4- “ search ss faith”+ ss palo alto” + “ss peralta” to see if there are any discussions other ships related to them and constructed by the same company
    Sightings of sharks
    5- Google news “ sharks + seacliff beach”
    Evidence of long-time presence
    6- Pre-historic as a keyword which lead to using fossils as a keyword

    ReplyDelete