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The ships in our park's collection have been moved temporarily due to the Hyde Street Rebuild Project. They are now located at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard. Visitors are not currently allowed on the ships, but can view them from Mare Island. When the Hyde Street Pier rebuild is finished, the ships will be moved back to Hyde Street Pier.
NPS/J.Woerner
A Ship Merging Industrial and Traditional Maritime Technologies
Balclutha is a three-masted square-rigged ship designed for long distance cargo trading. The ship was built in 1886 at the Charles Connell & Co. Ltd. shipyard near Glasgow, Scotland. Balclutha represents industrial maritime innovation of the late 19th century due to the iron and steel used in its hull, in addition to its traditional wind-powered sail propulsion. As a general cargo vessel, Balcluthaaveraged no more than 30 crew members, who managed the complex rigging and dozens of sails required to keep the vessel under control. The ship made stops in San Francisco, California on several occasions, including its first three voyages. Balclutha completed navigation through the treacherous waters around Cape Horn at the southern tip of South America 17 times, earning the informal title of a 'Cape Horner,' a nickname given to ships that rounded Cape Horn during that time period.
Balclutha Quick Facts
Length: 256.50 feet
Beam: 38.65 feet
Depth of Hold: 22.75 feet
Gross Tonnage (as built): 1689.30
The ringed portraits of Captain Constable and the original, multicultural Balclutha crew, taken in June, 1887 during Balclutha’s maiden voyage.
SAFR P80-133
Grain and Cargo (1887-1899)
California experienced two distinct 'Gold Rushes.' The first (1848-1855) was driven by the allure of gold, and the second (1855-1910) was fueled by the rise of agriculture, particularly wheat farming across the fertile valley floors. Grain harvested from the fields was hauled in horse-drawn wagons to the Sacramento and San Joaquin River landings, where steam-powered sternwheelers and railroad boxcars carried the precious cargo to Port Costa. There, large ocean-going ships, bound for ports in Britain and Europe, were docked and ready to load. The state's booming grain industry transformed its economy, attracting British vessels by the hundreds each year, all passing through the Golden Gate into the San Francisco Bay.
On January 15, 1887, Balclutha embarked on its maiden voyage from Cardiff, Wales, to San Francisco with a crew of 26 men—a journey that would take 140 days including navigating around Cape Horn. Upon arriving at the Golden Gate, Balclutha unloaded 2,650 tons of coal and took on a new cargo of California wheat. Balclutha made many trips in the Europe-San Francisco grain trade and under Captain Durkee from 1893 -1899, made many trips from San Francisco to India to acquire both jute bags to store grain and jute to be used locally.
The demand for grain sacks alone contributed $2 million per year to the local economy in California as Chinese workers in California wove the sacks from jute imported from Calcutta, charging growers 10-15 cents each. In 1899, during Balclutha’s final voyage in its first career, Captain Durkee’s wife, Alice, gave birth to their daughter, Inda Frances Durkee, on the Indian Ocean with the help of an Indian midwife. Shortly after, Balclutha changed careers.
Lumber for Coal (1899-1902)
In 1899, Balclutha was transferred to the Registry of Hawaii where it joined the bustling Pacific Coast lumber trade. For three years the ship sailed north to Puget Sound, Washington, and then across to Australia. Much of the 1.5 million board feet of lumber she could carry ended up underground where it was used for mining timbers in the Broken Hill Mine. Balclutha docked at Port Pirie, South Australia, where the timbers were unloaded and transported 250 miles inland to Broken Hill.
Balclutha was the last vessel to fly the flag of the Hawaiian Kingdom. In 1901 a special act of the United States Congress admitted the ship to the American registry so that she could engage in "coastwise" trade (i.e. between American ports). Soon thereafter, the Alaska Packers Association, a San Francisco firm which harvested and canned salmon, chartered her to carry men and supplies north – to Alaska.
Star of Alaska (formerly Balclutha) sailing as a member of the Alaska Packer's Association in the early 1900s.
SAFR P93-065, J07.00090
Salmon Packer (1902-1930)
In 1904, when Balclutha ran aground, the Alaska Packers Association seized the opportunity to acquire it for a mere $500. After thorough repairs, the ship was rechristened Star of Alaska.
During its years as a vital part of the salmon packing industry, the Star of Alaska sailed up the West Coast from Alameda, California, delivering supplies and transporting cannery workers. Each April, it anchored in Chignik Bay, Alaska, where the crew unloaded the supplies, and the workers settled into the company camp ashore. Only a few shipkeepers remained aboard. In early September, with its hold packed with cases of canned salmon, the Star of Alaska embarked on the 2,400-mile journey back to San Francisco Bay. Known for its speed, the Star of Alaska averaged just over 22 days for the northward trip and only 15 days on the return.
During the winter, the ship was laid up alongside the rest of the Alaska Packers Association's fleet of over 30 vessels in Alameda, where skilled shipwrights carried out essential maintenance and renovations. In 1911, the poop deck was extended to accommodate Italian and Scandinavian fishermen, and later, additional bunks were added to the 'tween deck for Chinese cannery workers. As the Star of Alaska, the ship regularly carried over 200 men on its northern voyages. The Alaska Packers Association retired most of its fleet by1930 except for the Star of Alaska which was the only sailing ship the Packers sent north in 1930. When it returned in September 1930, Star of Alaska, too, was retired.
Pacific Queen (formerly Balclutha) with striped paint used during the filming of "Mutiny on the Bounty" still visible.
SAFR P93-065, K06.40952
Movie Star (1933-1954)
In 1933, Frank and Rose Kissinger acquired the Star of Alaska for $5,000, renaming it the Pacific Queen. The Kissingers brought the ship to Southern California, where it starred in the film Mutiny on the Bounty while anchored off Catalina Island. For a time, the Pacific Queen toured the West Coast as a "pirate ship," captivating crowds with its adventurous allure. Eventually, the ship was docked at Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco, where it was opened to the public and became a popular attraction.
In 1941, the onset of World War II (WWII) led to the need for more space for cargo vessels in San Francsico. The Pacific Queen was towed to South San Francisco and later to Sausalito. As the years passed, the Pacific Queen succumbed to rust and gradual decay. During WWII, it narrowly avoided being scrapped for metal, surviving a close call with the wrecking yard.
The rigging crew at work on the Pacific Queen (formerly Balclutha) restoration. Moore Dry Dock, Oakland, CA, 1954-1955
SAFR P93-065, B16.40834
Restoration and Museum
In 1954 the San Francisco Maritime Museum, headed by Karl Kortum and Alma Spreckels, purchased Pacific Queen for $25,000. Assisted by donations of cash, materials and labor from the local community, the Museum restored the vessel and returned it to its original name and glory with the help of the granddaughter of Inda Frances Durkee, Inda Dunn. The ship was transferred to the National Park Service in 1978, and Balclutha was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1985.
Over the years, Balclutha has been steadily restored to its former glory. Exhibits above and below deck show the changes the ship has endured and offer a glimpse into the life of the crewmembers on board. Today, Balclutha is one of the premier museum ships in San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park's collection.
Audio Presentations and Videos
A Memorial to the Grand Age of Sail
The significance of the sailing ship Balclutha, a memorial to the grand age of sail.
You’re listening to “Maritime Voices” from San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park. I’m Park Ranger Mark Neuweld. In this episode, we’ll consider the significance of the sailing ship Balclutha, a memorial to the grand age of sail.
So why is this 19th century British merchant ship preserved in a national park dedicated to Pacific Coast maritime history? Launched in Scotland in 1886, Balclutha carried cargo on long ocean voyages throughout the world until finding her home in San Francisco. During her varied career, she transported California grain to Great Britain. Under the American flag, Balclutha ran Pacific Coast lumber to Australia, and carried thousands of men to the salmon-fishing grounds of Alaska. She sailed commercially until 1930, contributing to the cultural and economic growth of the Pacific Coast. Surviving 17 passages around Cape Horn, a disastrous wreck in Alaska, and the ravages of time, Balclutha was recalled to life by the Bay Area community in a “magnificent act of civic rescue.”
Balclutha is significant because of the active role she played in global trade and commerce, connecting cultures throughout the world. She also speaks to us of human suffering, survival, and heroism. Listen closely and perhaps you will hear the footsteps of the men and women who walked her wooden decks more than a century ago. For some of these mariners, the high seas may have been a dangerous and desolate barrier, separating them from precious family and friends far away; for other seamen, the oceans of the world may have been a highway to adventure, freedom, and the realization of their dreams in a new world.
In her iron and steel fabric, Balclutha is a product of the industrial age. In her mode of operation, utilizing only wind and human muscle, she remains a survivor from an earlier era. Captain Alan Villiers captures the spirit of the age of sail in words that are especially relevant in the modern day: “These ships sailed in peace under God, silently, with grace. They destroyed nothing except occasionally themselves, for the price of error was high. They polluted nothing. They made all the great voyages of discovery. They opened up the earth, and they shifted peoples.” Balclutha is one of the last steel-hulled, square-rigged ships still floating in the world. The National Park Service now preserves her as a memorial to the men and times of the grand age of sail.
Danger and Adventure on the High Seas
The dangers and adventures of sailing on the high seas.
You’re listening to “Maritime Voices” from San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park. I’m ranger Mark Neuweld. In this episode, we’ll consider the dangers and adventures of sailing on the high seas.
In January, 1887, Balclutha sailed from South Wales with 30 men and 2,650 tons of coal. The terrifying passage around Cape Horn to San Francisco might last up to five months. Far from shore, a ship is like an isolated island. Balclutha and her crew would survive only through the skill and courage of those aboard. Balclutha’s figurehead, an anonymous classical lady, may have provided comfort for those who looked to her as the eyes of the ship, a guide through the ferocious storms ahead.
For a sailor, the long months at sea were harsh and lonely, full of discomfort and deprivation. Their food consisted of weevil-infested biscuits, thin pea soup, and salt pork so hard “it would take a good polish.” Their sleeping quarters were located in the bow of the ship, in the forecastle, a three-cornered hole that was dark, cold, wet, and smelly. Andrew Furuseth describes his sailor’s life in these words, “…in jail my bunk would be no narrower, my food no worse nor I more lonely than in the forecastle.” In their hard bunks, sailors slept in fear of a collision that could quickly kill them.
And their daily work in the rigging high above the deck also could quickly kill them. The following passage from a sailor’s diary describes working aloft in a hard squall: “We climbed into the shrouds at 6am in pitch darkness. It was raining steadily and big seas were coming aboard. The wind had a cold sting in it, which gradually froze us to the marrow. We were up there for nearly two hours. Our fingers were stiff and blue with cold and red with blood from tears on jagged wire rope.”
To a sailor surrounded by the 80 foot swells and 100 mile/hour winds of Cape Horn, the ocean must have been a formidable barrier, separating him from the safety, comfort, and loved ones of home.
Why did they sign on for such misery? Since Balclutha’s sailors were paid only $12-$20/month, perhaps they were seeking something more than money. Sailor Norman Pearce expresses his yearning for adventure in these words, “I was born and bred…with the love of the sea in my bones, and with several uncles…in the coasting trade, I just had to follow them. It was not long before I craved for something more, with square-rigged ships and foreign travel…”
Today, the National Park Service preserves not only the Balclutha, but also the stories of her sailors, including their dreams and their struggles for survival.
You’re listening to “Maritime Voices” from San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park. I’m ranger Mark Neuweld. In this episode, we’ll consider the experiences of women and families at sea.
In 1889, the New York Times reported that ¼ of all sailing ships carried families. When the Balclutha left India in February, 1899, Captain Alfred Durkee was accompanied by his wife Alice. Upon arrival in San Francisco on May 27, Balclutha carried a passenger not recorded on her original sailing list. The local papers announced, “BORN AT SEA ON THE BALCLUTHA, Captain Durkee’s Daughter Rocked in the Cradle of the Deep.” A baby girl, named Inda Frances, was born in the Indian Ocean. There was no doctor aboard.
There were also times when a captain’s wife played a pivotal role in the survival of a sailing ship. In 1856, the clipper Neptune’s Car was westward bound for San Francisco by way of Cape Horn. Battling through strong gales while approaching the Horn, Captain Joshua Patten’s exhaustion caused his hearing and eyesight to fail, and he was put to bed, raving deliriously. Previously, the first mate had been locked in irons for insubordination. The captain’s wife, Mary Patten, took command. She was nineteen years old and four months pregnant. For fifty nights, she slept in her clothes. During one 48 hour period, she was constantly on deck, fighting for a chance to hoist some sail. She was fighting for the survival of her family-her sick husband and her unborn child. How did she view the wild ocean? Was the sea a barrier or a highway?
Mary Patten successfully commanded Neptune’s Car to a safe arrival in San Francisco. She was praised not only for her love and devotion for her husband, but also for her skill and courage in commanding a large and valuable vessel. Her baby was born four months later.
Maritime traditions run deep. Why have sailors always considered their ships to be female? In the midst of dangerous and desolate waters, men relied upon their ships for sustenance and comfort. It was not until later in the 20th century that women began to shatter such traditional female roles, opening up new opportunities and new horizons for women at sea.
The National Park Service preserves the amazing stories of women at sea, providing a link between our past, our present, and our future.
A World of Interconnection
A look at how the sailing ship Balclutha helped to connect the world.
You’re listening to “Maritime Voices” from San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park. I’m Park Ranger Mark Neuweld. In this episode, we’ll consider how the sailing ship Balclutha helped to connect the world.
A steel ship built to sail the world’s most treacherous seas, the idea for the Balclutha began with a carved, wooden model, a little more than five feet in length. Robert McMillan commissioned the construction of Balclutha in 1886, the year his son William turned 10 years old. Robert had grown up in his grandfather’s and father’s shipyard on the Clyde River of Scotland. The ships that Robert McMillan constructed and owned allowed him to build a beautiful family estate with a view of the river for which Balclutha was named. For Robert McMillan, the ocean was a vital highway, sustaining the commerce that provided for his family’s comfort. His home had a Victorian fireplace in every room.
Balclutha also helped to build San Francisco and California. She carried cement and glass from Belgium that became office buildings. She carried coal from England that heated homes and fueled the trains, steamboats, and factories of the growing economy. California’s economy was growing because Balclutha was one of thousands of ships that sparked a second “gold rush” for the coveted golden wheat that made San Francisco a port of world significance in the late 19th century. From India came jute, a vegetable fiber used to make burlap bags. These bags were filled with California grain that Balclutha carried 14,000 miles around Cape Horn to England, perhaps becoming bread for the McMillan family.
Balclutha carried more than cargo. She also brought new people and new ideas through the Golden Gate, connecting California with the world. Balclutha’s sailors frequently deserted ship in San Francisco, looking for opportunities better than another Cape Horn passage. Other ships brought wave after wave of immigrants, searching for a better life in the new world. These immigrants married and raised children, interweaving their family traditions into the changing culture of California. In the modern day, it’s a culture that remains open to new ideas, fostering the creativity to spark the current technological revolution connecting our world more tightly than Robert McMillan may have imagined.
Today, San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park preserves Balclutha as a memorial to the men and times of the grand age of sail. Her cargo hold carries exhibits that will take you on a journey through time, a journey through her working days on the oceans of the world. Welcome aboard!
A timelapse video of the ship Balclutha's tow away from Hyde Street Pier. The video starts early in the morning before sunrise with people working on the ship throughout the day, and ends when the ship is towed away.
