ENSENADA -- While most Americans thought SS Catalina was long gone, after the Port of Ensenada began demolition and removal efforts last year, much of the “Great White Steamer” that once carried visitors to and from Santa Catalina Island remains in the water off Ensenada, as a partially submerged rotting hulk.

Faded Glory--S.S. Catalina as it appeared in December 2008. Much of the steamer remains in the water off Ensenada.

Port officials originally announced that the 130-foot SS Catalina would be demolished and removed by October 2007, and then made the same announcement in December 2008 -- confirming that the remains of the vessel would all be gone by March 30, 2009.

However, that date came and went, but the vessel remains in the warm water of Ensenada’s harbor. At press time, Port of Ensenada officials said they anticipate having the famous steamer removed later this month.

“The ‘leftovers’ of the vessel are here: Basically the hull is still in the water, but the rest has been sent as scrap to China steel mills,” explained Juan Ochoa, trade development manager with the Port of Ensenada, in an e-mail to The Log. “The work has advanced by 90 percent.”

In April 2007, Ochoa reported, the Mexican government announced it had received the 176 million pesos ($350,000 in U.S. currency) needed to demolish the derelict ship. The port at that time set October 2007 as the demolition date.

While various U.S. groups had attempted to save the historic vessel before it deteriorated further and became partially submerged, the port finally made plans to remove what was left of SS Catalina to make room for construction of a 380-slip marina.

According to David Engholm, who has been following the twists and turns in the SS Catalina story for several years, the scrapping company hired by the port ceased work on its salvage operation in August after the crane used to tear the vessel apart was involved in a mishap and narrowly missed falling into the harbor.

Advocates for preservation of the steamer attempted to raise money to get the ship hauled out and have the vessel established as an historic entity, but those efforts ended years ago. However, some have managed to save pieces of the vessel.

Engholm, founder of the nonprofit SS Catalina Steamship Fund, which became inactive in 2006, continued to work with the port, preservation organizations and the Catalina Island Museum, in an attempt to salvage the vessel’s pilothouse and stack.

Engholm placed a request to salvage the pilothouse, but said he never received a response from the port. The port’s lack of communication motivated Engholm to make the drive from his house in Coos Bay, Oregon with a trailer, and talk to the company contracted by the port to scrap the vessel earlier this year.

He managed to bring home many items, but was not able to salvage the pilothouse or smoke stack, as both had already been demolished by the time he reached Ensenada. He has, however, managed to save eight distinctive cowl vents, one of which he is considering lending to the Catalina Island Museum, if the facility agrees to maintain it.

The vessel’s doors, portholes, flooring stanchions that supported the top deck, a few pieces from the pilothouse and a stanchion that supported the bridge wing on the port side of the vessel are now being preserved at Engholm’s home.

“I am really happy that I have been able to save items, with the help of my brother-in-law,” Engholm said.

“It took a lot of work: Those eight cowl vents were 1,000 pounds,” Engholm said. “This all came out of my pocket.”

Engholm, who met his wife aboard and was married on the SS Catalina, made several trips to Ensenada, filling up his trailer with items each time.

Most of the items -- such as the main staircase -- are now being incorporated into his house. The ship’s stairway will lead into Engholm’s basement, and other items will be brought into a room he has designed to resemble a cabin from the vessel.

His wife and his grandmother -- who is now 93, and used to take Engholm on cruises aboard SS Catalina during the summer during his childhood -- are not surprised by Engholm’s passion for the vessel.

“My wife says I am turning the house into the ship,” he said. Engholm added that all visitors in the area who are interested in taking a peek at the items he has managed to preserve are welcome to stop by for a quick tour.