S.S. Catalina

William Wrigley Jr. had this ship built at the San Pedro shipyard in 1924 to carry his customers to the island he owned. The Great White Steamer ran the twenty-six miles to Avalon for half a century, moved something near twenty-five million passengers, ferried troops through the Second World War, and retired in 1975. Then no museum, port, or city would take her. She ran aground at Ensenada in 1997, sat half-sunk for more than a decade, and was cut up for scrap in 2009.

What the plaque says

Commonly referred to as the Great White Steamer, the ship was specially built by William Wrigley to serve his Catalina Island as a passenger ferry. She was christened on May 23, 1924. During World War II, she was requisitioned for use as a troop carrier, but in 1946 she resumed her voyages to Avalon.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Santa Monica Pier — 22 mi
  Where the Mother Road runs out of continent, and where the End of the Trail sign gives the drive somewhere to finish.
• Mission San Gabriel Arcangel — 26 mi
  The fourth Alta California mission, built on Tongva land with Tongva labor, rebuilt after arson and now telling that story straight.

More markers nearby

• Liberty Hill Site — 0.7 mi
• Site of Home of Diego Sepúlveda — 1.1 mi
• Timms' Point and Landing — 1.5 mi
• Casa de San Pedro — 2.1 mi