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Explore one of San Francisco Maritime's iconic ships from the shore though this cell phone audio tour. Balclutha: From the Outside In guides visitors walking along the hull of Balclutha, using details of the ship’s exterior to explore over 100 years of its history. From its paint scheme, to its Plimsoll line, to the portholes beneath its poopdeck, every detail on the ship is a doorway into a bigger story.
This cell phone audio tour is available via the QR code posted on signs near the ship at Mare Island and on our website.
Welcome to the audio tour Balclutha: From the Outside In. I'm Ranger Chris Edwards. I’ll guide you as we look at details of Balclutha’s hull to explore over a century of this ship's history.
Right now, you should be standing by the very front, or bow, of the ship. Take in the white figurehead, the ship’s name in gold letters, and the colors of the hull. Features like these reflect how Balclutha looked during its first career as a British merchant vessel, often bringing grain to Europe from California. In that period – from 1886 to 1899 – this ship called at ports on six continents and rounded the deadly Cape Horn 17 times.
As a sailing vessel, Balclutha was distinct and typical for its time. Uniquely, though it used sail power, its hull was made of steel and iron, like a modern steamer. Yet it honored conventions like a graceful figurehead. Balclutha’s isn't identifiably a historical nor mythical figure, but, as became usual for the era, an anonymous Victorian woman.
The four-paint scheme was also typical. It distinguished British cargo vessels from naval ships. And it had practical use: red, copper-based coating helped keep marine organisms off the hull. White and light gray paint reflected heat and provided contrast with the water. Black was protective and cheap. Note the black rectangles on the white part of the hull – they are false gun ports. They’re more of a stylistic touch for Balclutha. But, in earlier decades, such gun ports were meant to create the impression avessel was armed.
But Balclutha hasn’t always looked this way; it hasn’t always had that name. Different owners over the years modified this ship.
From 1906 to 1929, its hull was painted black, and its decks altered, for the Alaska Packers Association, which renamed Balclutha into Star of Alaska. This San Francisco-based company used the vessel as a transport ship and floating warehouse for the canned salmon industry.
Then, from 1933 to 1953, its hull was painted silver-white, its masts and yards oriole-red, and its portholes accented with a dainty blue. By that time, this vessel was one of the last active tall ships on the West Coast: it became an attraction called the Pacific Queen. It was also used in Hollywood movies, including as a warship for the Oscar-winning Mutiny on the Bounty. For this film, the starboard side – facing the camera – was painted black and white.
In 1954, this vessel became a museum. The founders of what is now San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park then made a decision. They determined the ship's first career as Balclutha was the most historically significant – and so they restored the vessel to its original name and appearance.
Today, you’ll see and hear about the Balclutha as we walk the length of this 256-foot ship. Though there are fewer traces of the Star of Alaska and Pacific Queen, we'll talk about them too. Let’s get the voyage going.
From the Outside In Stop 2: Deepwater Cargo
Learn about Balclutha's draft measurement, used when carrying cargo.
Welcome to Balclutha: From the Outside In. I’m Ranger James Locke. I’m also guiding you today as we explore 140 years ofBalclutha’s history.
Right now, you should be at the ship’s bow, below the figurehead. Look for the roman numerals painted on the side of the vessel. They start at the top with X-X-I-I, or twenty-two, and go down past the waterline. These numbers measure the distance, in feet, from the water’s surface to the bottom of the hull — a distance known as draft.
Draft tells sailors how deeply a ship sits in the water. That helps prevent a vessel from running aground in shallow waters, or from getting overloaded. A loaded ship has a deeper draft than an empty one.
Nowadays, Balclutha’s draft usually sits around thirteen feet, at the X-I-I-I mark. It would be higher if the ship still carried significantly more cargo or ballast — but for safe sailing, the ship shouldn't be loaded past the 22-foot line.
You can use these same draft markings to imagine just how much space there was for cargo. The top of Balclutha’s lower hold begins by the top of the draft markings and extends several more feet past the waterline. This space is about as wide as a tennis court and nearly as long as the whole vessel.
Just how much stuff could be loaded here? On October 12, 1896, Balclutha left San Francisco for London with 11,202 sacks of barley, 4,179 cases of canned fruit, 44,188 cases of salmon, and 80 gallons of wine. A year later, it returned with 12,017 casks of cement, 303 tons of fuel, nearly 1,000 cases of liquor, wine, and beer – plus hundreds of crates of mustard, olive oil, and cocoa.
In four decades as a merchant ship, Balclutha delivered more types of cargo between the West Coast and ports around the globe. Every inch of the ship's draft would have been maximized. Everything in this ship helped build, feed, and enrich San Francisco – as well California, the United States, and the world.
From The Outside In Stop 3: Before the Mast
Description of the area of the ship before the mast.
Welcome back! Right now, you should be standing by the ship’s foremast – the mast closest to the front, or bow, of the ship.
Everything between this and the bow is called “before the mast.” Sailors traditionally occupied this part of the main deck; the captain and other officers stayed towards the back, or stern.
Before the mast, sailors slept, ate, mended or washed clothes, and otherwise kept busy when they were not on their shifts, or watches. They bunked inside the fo’c’s’le – the raised structure at the bow where you now see handrails for stairs.
On any vessel, the fo’c’s’le was uncomfortable, even dangerous. Sailors were wedged into the ship’s narrow nose. They endured little ventilation and little light — and thus greater risks of illness — and injury — should the ship run aground or get battered by a storm. Their beds were also cramped around the windlass, the hulking machine that raised and lowered the ship’s anchors.
Linked to the windlass, the anchor chains passed through openings in the fo’c’s’le, such as the one you see a mooring line going through today. Though these would be closed for most of the voyage, when open, they further exposed the interior to the wind, spray, and cold. Andrew Furuseth, a leader of the Sailors Union of the Pacific, said in 1905: “In jail my bunk would be no narrower, my food no worse, nor I more lonely than in the [fo’c’s’le].”
Balclutha's fo’c’sle was built to accommodate up to 32 men. Imagine, for a moment, how that many people fared on the open ocean.
Then, imagine what it must have been like when, in its years as the Star of Alaska, over 100 men lived on this same ship.
Do you see the row of portholes on the hull, below either side of the foremast? They mark additional quarters on the deck between the ship’s main deck and lower hold. These quarters were made for cannery workers aboard the Star of Alaska from 1906 to 1929. Different from sailors or fishermen, these men gutted, cleaned, and canned fish at a cannery up north.
Ship drawings from the 1920s say there were bunks for 73 men, and contemporary accounts describe the hellish conditions they endured. If they could go elsewhere on the ship, they were only allowed above the fo’c’s’le – or anywhere else before the mast.
From the Outside In Stop 4: The Plimsoll Line
Learn about the importance of the Plimsoll line on the ship.
Can you spot the white markings on the gray part of the hull? Find the circle with the line through its center. For a cargo ship like Balclutha, that’s the all-important Plimsoll line.
A Plimsoll line marks the maximum depth a vessel can be safely immersed when loaded with cargo. This depth changes with a ship’s dimensions, type of cargo, the time of year, and the density of water a ship is in.
See the lines with the letters FA and WNA? They stand for “Fresh Water” and “Winter North Atlantic.” A ship shouldn’t be loaded past the FW mark if it’s in freshwater rivers or ports – or past WNA if it’s in the North Atlantic in winter. Which is where Balclutha often was!
The L and R stand for Lloyd’s Register, the British organization that still sets standards for maritime operations. “Plimsoll line” is named after Samuel Plimsoll, who, in the 1870s, advocated for safer loading practices to protect sailors.
Plimsoll understood the dangers of cargo shipping firsthand. He was a coal merchant. In the late 19th century, coal heated homes, powered factories, and fueled trains and boats. These included the warships built right here in Mare Island – hence the row of coal sheds just behind you near Balclutha.
But coal was one of the most dangerous cargoes at sea. It could combust or emit explosive gases. Even when properly loaded, it could move around on a voyage, causing vessels to list and capsize.
That happened to Balclutha in 1894 as it brought coal to Chile from England. A huge wave struck the vessel and it rolled on its side. The coal shifted belowdecks, making it harder to right the ship. Captain Alfred Durkee recalled, “We were lying over so far the men could not stand on deck without holding on.” Two sailors nearly died, but the crew managed to avert disaster.
Balclutha brought coal to San Francisco many times, including its first-ever voyage, in January 1887, when it arrived with 2,650 tons of Welsh coal. It also regularly brought the city coal from Australia in exchange for lumber from Puget Sound.
The coal sheds behind you opened while Balclutha served this trade. We can't say if any of its deliveries went to Mare Island, but, if it did, one trip could have brought enough coal to fill a single shed.
From the Outside In Stop 5: An Extended Poopdeck
Learn about the area of the ship known as the Poopdeck.
Welcome back to Balclutha: From the Outside In. You should be standing in front of the main mast at the center of the ship. Look just to its right. You’ll see an elevated deck going all the way to the back of the vessel. That's the poopdeck – “poop” being the French term for a ship’s rear end, otherwise known in English as the stern.
On ships like Balclutha, poopdecks serve as a command center, wherethe ship is steered and navigated. It’s the officers' point of observation, and the quote-unquote “roof” for their dining and sleeping quarters. Poopdecks were also typically shorter, beginning just past the mizzenmast, to your right, rather than the main mast.
The interior of Balclutha’s longer poopdeck is also known as the shelterdeck. It’s a legacy of the Alaska Packers Association, the ship’s owners from 1906 to 1929. The Packers extended the original poopdeck by 68 feet to provide shelter for fishermen and other employees, like a carpenter, engineer, baker, and radio operator. Drawings from the 1920s show there were 97 berths in this extension. Can you spot the portholes lined up towards the stern? They open to some of these quarters that fit two to four people. Three cabins also served as a toilet, washroom, and radio room.
In the 1950s, the founders of the Maritime Museum tried to dismantle the shelterdeck, since they prioritized restoring this ship to its original design from 1886. But the move was deemed too costly; the shelterdeck was inadvertently preserved. And so now we can still see it today: the last structural reminder of this ship’s time as the Star of Alaska, and physical evidence of how Balclutha evolved over time.
Now it’s time to look at this vessel's engine – which is not anywhere on the ship, but above it.
Whether known as Balclutha, Star of Alaska, or Pacific Queen, this iron-hulled ship has always been powered by the wind. When fully rigged, it hoisted 25 sails. Fifteen of those were arranged square across the ship, on the horizontal spars on each mast. That’s why Balclutha is a type of vessel called a square-rigger: those sails generated the force that drove the ship at speeds of up to 16 knots, or 18 miles per hour.
The three course alone for Balclutha – the sails set closest to the deck – measured around 35 feet tall and 90 feet wide. To hold up tons of sailcloth, Balclutha's three masts – as well as the standing rigging that support them – are mostly made of steel.
But, look at the uppermost parts of the masts, called the topgallant and the royal. Soaring to over 120 feet, these were made of spruce or Douglas fir. That, too, is part of Balclutha’s engineering: wooden spars keep a vessel stable by decreasing the weight up top. They are also more flexible than metal ones – and thus less likely to snap when pummeled by 50-mile-per-hour gales. Wooden spars are also easier to repair and replace, whether the ship was safe at port – or the vessel’s fate hinged on the ship carpenter’s skill in the middle of the sea.
From the Outside In Stop 7: Center of Command
Learn about the officer's cabins and the charthouse at the stern of the ship.
Welcome back! If you’ve been listening since Stop One, congratulations – you’ve made it all the way from the bowsprit to the stern! From the mizzenmast before you, to the counter at the ship’s very end, this is the command center of the ship.
Look for the white structure immediately aft of the mizzenmast. That’s the charthouse. It's where captains and navigators laid out their maps and sextants to determine the course of a voyage. Directly below it are the officers’ cabins. Do you see the curved roof peeking out beside the charthouse? That’s the barrel-top skylight for the captain’s saloon. And, beside the skylight, is the ship’s wheel. From there, the captain commanded this vessel, directing helmsmen to steer the 25-foot-tall rudder curving into the water below.
In this ship’s half-century under sail, 15 different captains commanded this ship. Try to imagine some of them pacing the stern.
At 41 years old, Joe Frederick Constable led Balclutha on its very first voyage in 1887. After 140 days across the Atlantic and around Cape Horn, he and his crew of 25 sailed Balclutha through the Golden Gate for the first time.
There, too, was Alfred Durkee, Balclutha’s captain for five years. He sailed with his wife, Alice, who gave birth to their daughter, Inda Frances, aboard Balclutha in the Indian Ocean. We owe a lot of what we know about shipboard life to Inda, who decades later shared family keepsakes and recollections with the San Francisco Maritime Museum.
Then, there was Nicholas Wagner. After Balclutha wrecked off Alaska in 1905, Wagner went north to oversee its salvage and averted its total loss. Wagner then sailed the damaged ship back to San Francisco for full repairs – and took the helm when it first voyaged again as the Star of Alaska.
And, though they weren’t sailors, there were also Rose and Henry Kissinger. After Star of Alaska retired from merchant service in 1930, they turned it into the attraction Pacific Queen. Working with different captains, preserving this vessel, then selling it to the Maritime Museum in 1954, Rose Kissinger steered this ship’s fate in its final days under sail.
Can you imagine yourself standing at the helm, facing forward to the bow, responsible for this whole vessel, its cargo, and crew? How would you act as a captain of a ship?
From the Outside In Stop 8: Where's the Bathroom?
Find out where the toilets were on board Balclutha.
As we wrap up our tour, here’s a question for self-reflection: What’s the one thing you ask park rangers when you visit national historical landmarks? Is it... “Where’s the bathroom?”
Walk back alongside Balclutha and you’ll see a physical history of answers to that question.
Look for small patches on the white part of hull that are shaped like circles or shields. (You may check the pictures on your screen for reference!) These patches indicate where soil pipes went through. Soil pipes convey wastewater and sewage – in other words: they tell you just where the toilets were.
Can you spot the ones between the mainmast and mizzenmast? Two are for toilets on this side of the shelterdeck. Another was for a washroom. Surviving ship drawings show there were also four toilets at the fo’c’s’le – you can find two soil pipes on this side of the vessel. One is almost at the very front – a typical toilet location that led to shipboard toilets being called “heads!”
As you walk back towards the bow, you’ll see other kinds of drains on the topmost, black part of the hull. Find the rectangular hatches – there's an open one near the gangway. That's an example of a freeing port. These open all along the main deck when large waves wash on board, so the ship doesn’t list or get weighed down.
There are also scuppers – they look like everyday gutter spouts – that jut out a bit from the ship. Scuppers drain water during deck washing and light rain – or when sailors dump a bucket of water over their heads for a “shower.” On ships such as this, while everyone had access to a toilet, only the captain – and his family – could enjoy a bathtub.
Thank you for joining us today in exploring Balclutha: From the Outside In. There will always be more of the ship and always more history to explore. Join us on another voyage soon!
