C.A. Thayer--World War II in the San Francisco Bay Area: A National Register of Historic Places Travel Itinerary

[graphic] World War II In the San Francisco Bay Area

[graphic] images of San Francisco Bay Area

C.A. Thayer undergoing restoration in 2004 at the former Alameda Naval Air Station
Photo courtesy of San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park

Built in 1895, C.A. Thayer is one of only two surviving examples of the sailing schooners designed specifically for use in the 19th-century Pacific Coast lumber trade. This 19th-century vessel was destined to perform military service during World War II. Between 1895 and 1912, C.A. Thayer usually sailed from E. K. Wood's mill in Grays Harbor, Washington, to San Francisco. The vessel also carried lumber as far south as Mexico, and occasionally even ventured offshore to Hawaii and Fiji. After sustaining serious damage during a heavy, southeasterly gale, C.A. Thayer's lumber trade days ended in an Oakland shipyard, in 1912. But it was really the rise of steam power, and not the wind, that pushed Thayer into a new career. Early each April from 1912 to 1924, C.A. Thayer hauled 28-foot gill-net boats, bundles of barrel staves, and tons of salt from San Francisco to Western Alaska. Vessels in the salt-salmon trade usually laid up during the winter months, but when World War I inflated freight rates (1915 to 1919), C.A. Thayer carried Northwest fir and Mendocino redwood to Australia. From 1925 to 1930, C.A. Thayer made yearly voyages from Poulsbo, Washington, to the Bering Sea codfishing waters off the Alaskan coast.

[photo] C.A. Thayer during its codfishing period from 1946 to 1950--after serving as an ammunition barge during World War II, the C.A. Thayer was fitted with masts once again and returned to codfishing until her last commercial voyage in 1950.
Photo courtesy of San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park Collection

After a decade-long, Depression-era lay-up in Lake Union, Seattle, the U.S. Army purchased C.A. Thayer from prominent Seattle codfisherman J. E. Shields for use in the war effort. In 1942, the army removed Thayer's masts and used it as an ammunition barge in British Columbia. After World War II, Shields bought his ship back from the Army, fitted it with masts once again, and returned it to codfishing. With its final voyage, in 1950, C.A. Thayer entered the history books as the last commercial sailing vessel to operate on the West Coast.

The State of California purchased C.A. Thayer in 1957. After preliminary restoration in Seattle, Washington, an intrepid volunteer crew sailed it down the coast to San Francisco. The San Francisco Maritime Museum performed more extensive repairs and refitting, and opened C.A. Thayer to the public in 1963. The vessel was transferred to the National Park Service in 1978, and has been docked at the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park. Thousands of school children spend the night aboard the 1895 schooner each year as part of an innovative educational program. In 2004, the C.A. Thayer was transported to a seaplane hangar at the former Alameda Naval Air Station for a restoration expected to take two years, during which time the project's progress will be tracked in the Park (with exhibits and panels) and on the park's website.

The C.A. Thayer, a National Historic Landmark, is temporarily located at a hangar at the former Alameda Naval Air Station. During the restoration, tours may be available, refer to the restoration website for the latest information. After the restoration, the C.A. Thayer will return to its dock at the National Park Service's San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park on the west end of Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco. The park is open daily, year-round from 9:30am to 5:00pm. The visitor center, museum and pier are closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's days. There is a fee for visitors over 17; please visit the park's website or call 415-447-5000 for further information.