SS Dutchess

The SS Dutchess was a Passenger Ship that served from 1960 to 1962

History
Plans for the Dutchess began in 1956 when the Pacific Coast Line wanted to build a Vessel that could serve both as a Ocean Liner and a Cruise Ship without major renovations, This was a new class of ships named the Dutchess Class which would consist of the SS Dutchess, The SS Torrance and the SS Harbor City, Construction for the Dutchess began in Late 1958 at Morro Bay Shipyards without much issue, The Ship was Christened on Janurary 25th 1960 with its Maiden Voyage from Los Angeles to West El Kadsre beginning on January 27th 1960, In Early 1962 the local Point Redondo High School wanted to celebrate the End of Senior Year on the Dutchess, Pacific Coast Line Agreed and on May 20th 1962 the Dutchess left Redondo Pier on Route to circle Point Vincente and back, At 8:20 during a Dance at the Stern Captain Myers received word that the Ship was approaching the shores of Bluff Cove and to turn to port (left), unfortunately by the time the message was sent it was to late and the ship slammed into Flat Rock and grounded itself just South of Bluff Cove at 8:26, The Evacuation was very unorganized and resulted in many fights onboard with around Seven Students being thrown overboard, The first emergency services arrived at 8:28 but due to the steep terrain none arrived until 8:32 and at 8:34 the Ship capsized onto the beach causing several injuries and deaths, The rest of the people onboard were all evacuated by 8:28, Only 129 of the 200 onboard survived and a later investigation concluded that the accident could have been avoided if the message was sent Two Minutes Earlier, The Ship wasn't removed due to how expensive it would be to remove it so the Dutchess remained abandoned and still there to this day, Its two sister ships the SS Torrance and the Harbor City would both take different paths, The Torrance was sold off in 1965 to the Francisco Line before the ship's destruction in 1978 when it collided with a Vlokozu Union Destroyer with the incident now dubbed the "Vlokozu Collision Incident", The other ship the Harbor City still serves today under the Gold River Line still with its original name serving as a cruise ship around the coast of San Francisco even playing as the Dutchess in the 2018 Movie the "Two Minutes Later" which is about the sinking of the Dutchess and the chaos onboard.