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Original order of historic ships on Hyde Street Pier.
NPS
Explore Hyde Street Pier through the Cell Phone Audio Tour! While Hyde Street Pier is closed to the public, you can still be transported there through its many stories. Wondering why Hyde Street Pier is closed? Visit our Frequently Asked Questions page.
Originally created to follow the ships displayed along Hyde Street Pier, the Maritime Voices audio tour features two to three minute ranger talks spread over 8 different stops. These talks dive into the historic ship collection, danger and adventure on the high seas, ship preservation, art and architecture, family life at sea, the music of sailors, and much more.
Listen to these tours while visiting the ships at their temporary home, the Mare Island Naval Ship Yard, or from anywhere! The audio tours can be accessed one of two ways:
By calling 415-294-6754 and entering # then the tour number. Tour numbers are listed below. If calling, your cell phone carrier will charge their usual rate for the minutes used in the 415 area code.
By listening to the audio directly on this page or through the NPS App.
Each tour below includes transcripts for the audio.
Forepier
#1 Orientation: A Portal into Maritime History
An orientation to San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park and the ships at Hyde Street Pier.
Welcome to San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park. This magnificent collection of ships tells amazing stories and provides an authentic link between our past, our present, and our future. The National Park Service works to preserve such gifts from past generations in order to promote greater understanding and appreciation of our shared heritage. We hope the following orientation with make your visit more interesting and enjoyable.
You may want to begin your maritime voyage at the park Visitor Center in the historic red brick building directly across the street. At the Visitor Center, you will find helpful staff and beautiful exhibits to spark your interest. Be sure to ask about today’s schedule of guided programs.
Restrooms are located in the Visitor Center and on Hyde Street Pier next to the small boat shop. We encourage you to stroll down the pier for an adventure back into the grand age of sail and steam. Most of the vessels in this park are more than a century old. You may see National Park Service staff and volunteers actively engaged in preserving the ships and small boats. Park employees love to talk about maritime topics and traditions, so please feel free to approach them with any questions you may have.
At many points of interest along the pier, you can explore maritime history by listening to the free recordings available through any mobile phone. The pier also offers scenic view of San Francisco Bay, the Golden Gate Bridge, and the famous island of Alcatraz. Both guided and self-guided tours are available aboard certain ships. To go aboard, you will need a boarding pass which is available at the ticket booth. The booth is located halfway down the pier just in front of the large, white ferry boat, Eureka. The boarding pass is valid for seven days and it provides access to all the ships that are open. Like a good sailor, please be safe as you explore. Be especially careful of slippery stairs and gangways. We hope you enjoy your voyage into maritime history.
#2 History Afloat
An introduction to the various vessels in the historic ship collection.
Welcome to the historic ships of San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park. I’m Park Guide, Chris Poisant. These ships tell stories of past economies, technologies, and life at sea that are hard for most people to imagine today. You are invited to walk down Hyde St. Pier and ponder what California and San Francisco were like before the modern day. Each ship will offer you unique and surprising stories. Together, they offer undeniable proof of the importance of ships in the history of California and the west coast of the United States.
Consider the ferryboat Eureka for example. One of her surprising stories is how she survived throughout time to become the largest wooden floating object anywhere in the world today.
These ships also tell how long-lived commercial sailing vessels were. For example, the schooner C.A.Thayer, built in 1895, completed her last commercial voyage in 1950. In doing so, she was the last large sailing vessel on the west coast in commercial operation.
The ocean tug Hercules and scow schooner Alma reveal the economic importance of both coastal and river waterways before the development of our modern highway systems. The Hercules was an open ocean tug that sailed along west coast towing things such as lumber and barges of petroleum, which were difficult and overly expensive to transport on land. The Alma did a similar job, carrying a variety of goods, by sailing along rivers that connected San Francisco to numerous inland communities.
And the Balclutha amazingly tells stories of people and their lives while at sea. In going into her crew’s quarters you may be shocked at the ruggedness of the living conditions compared to the Captain’s luxuriously appointed quarters. And you may also learn about the life of the captain’s family who often accompanied him on long voyages. Imagine what it was like for the two women who gave birth during voyages on Balclutha.
Each individual ship has important historical significance. But as a collection they reveal that the history of California and the west coast of the United States is tied to its waterways and the ships that sailed them.
#3 Houseboating: The Lewis Ark
Learn about the Lewis Ark houseboat on Hyde Street Pier.
You’re listening to “Maritime Voices” from San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park. In this episode, we’ll consider houseboating and the Lewis Ark.
Houseboating; the word conjures up images of the casual, the creative, the sumptuous lifestyle. A life afloat free from the taxing aspects of society and bureaucracy. Boats bobbing amidst sea gulls and great expanses of open space, with the sounds of wind chimes and the creaking of walkways. As early as 1890, San Franciscans began mooring small vessels in Belvedere Cove in Marin County to the north. Some as weekend residences, others as duck hunting cabins. The name “ark” was commonly used to describe a houseboat on San Francisco Bay. It is derived from the local structures similarity to Noah’s ark in moving back and forth between water and land. Most arks had vaulted roofs, four rooms, and a galley with plenty of bunks for visitors. A few were owned jointly by several families. By the turn of the century, 30 or 40 of these jaunty little vessels dotted the cove in summer. In the winter they were towed into the shelter of Belvedere Lagoon.
This ark, named the Lewis Ark, was built sometime before 1882 for the McGee Family of San Francisco. Lewis Ark was part of the Belvedere Cove community for 30 years before being brought ashore and beached at Reed Dairy Farm in Tiburon in 1923. In an article written in 1899, an English magazine, The Strand, glowed with praise for the quaint community of Belvedere Cove arks, “There is an indescribable charm about the life. One has the pleasures of boating combined with the comforts of home. Seabass are at ones very threshold. Fish are caught and cooked while you wait. The monotony of the scenery is varied by the swinging of the ark as it turns with the tide. There are neighbors, 30 or 40 families of them within easy reaching distance if one can pull a stroke, for there’s always a following of row boats, lazily resting upon the water in the wake of each ark. The butcher, the baker, and others who supply the needs of daily life each has his little boat which he sends around every morning for his customary order, and the food for dinner and the ice cream for dessert are delivered as promptly to the ark dwellers as they are to those who are still in the city.”
You’re listening to “Maritime Voices” from San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park. I’m Park Guide Chris Poisant. In this episode, we’ll consider the swimmers in San Francisco Bay.
What do you do for fun? Do you have places near your home where you go to relax or exercise? Most of the swimmers in San Francisco Bay are not professional athletes, but ordinary citizens out for exercise and recreation in the place where they live. The public of San Francisco fought for over seventy years to have a safe beach within the city limits; a place where people, not industry, had the rights to the waterfront.
Shortly after the 1849 gold rush the San Francisco waterfront was consumed by industrial factories and businesses. In 1849, there were no bridges, cars, or airplanes allowing people to easily escape the city. People lived and played where they worked. The people of San Francisco desired a safe place in the city to enjoy the recreation opportunities provided by the San Francisco Bay. Unfortunately, though thousands of people swam in the bay each year, the San Francisco waterfront was considered too profitable economically to be set aside for a purpose like recreation. The rights of the people were in conflict with colossal opponents in industry and politics. However, in time, the perseverance, passionate lobbying, and continued hope of the citizens of San Francisco won out.
After close to 70 years of lobbying, in 1935 construction finally began on what would be known as San Francisco’s Aquatic Park. Near its completion, project managers declared, “The finished park…fills completely the need for a central water playground. Here one may bathe, swim, canoe, or sail… and revel in the beauties spread before them.”
Today, the swimmers at Aquatic Park continue to enjoy the legacy of an earlier time. While generations have passed, Aquatic Park, now managed by the National Park Service, remains a place where the people of San Francisco can safely enjoy the recreation opportunities available to them in their own backyard.
#5 Art & Architecture Aquatic Park
Explore the fascinating art and architecture of San Francisco’s Aquatic Park.
You’re listening to “Maritime Voices” from San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park. I’m Park Guide Chris Poisant. In this episode, we’ll explore the fascinating art and architecture of San Francisco’s Aquatic Park.
As you stand here at the edge of Aquatic Park Lagoon, think of some of the most recognizable structures in the modern-day world: the Eiffel Tower, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Roman Coliseum. All are easily identifiable because of their unique form, and each tells a story about culture, history, and beauty through its design.
The structures of Aquatic Park are no different. The year was 1935, and the great depression was weighing heavy on all aspects of life within the United States. Jobs were scarce, and for many the future showed few signs of promise. The structures here at Aquatic Park were built in an era in which hope for a better future was valued almost as highly as the structures themselves.
These structures were originally constructed to serve the public’s outdoor recreation needs. Look around at the white buildings and towers located near the beach and see if you can identify which of the white painted structures was designed to house changing rooms, or restaurants, and hot showers. Can you spot the smaller buildings near the beach designed to serve as lifeguard stations, concession stands, and bathrooms? If you look closely, you may even find the large towers built to hold loudspeakers for broadcasting information about the sporting events in the bay to spectators on land.
The architectural style of these structures is known as “Stream-lined Moderne.” The designs focus on curved surfaces and uninterrupted smooth lines, mirroring ideals of speed and efficiency. The structures actually reflect a hope for the future. They represent the concept of a futuristic society in which sleek, mechanized technology would bring about peace and stability.
Much like the architect who designed the structures, the artists hired to decorate them chose not to reflect on the grim reality of the era but focused on the abstract. A variety of American artists worked on the project such as: Hilaire Hiler, Sargent Johnson, Beniamino Bufano, and Richard Ayer. Their innovative works, designed around an ocean motif, gave physical form through paint, sculpture, and tile to an escape which could be found only in the mind’s eye. We invite you to visit the largest of these buildings to view the artwork for yourself.
Today the structures and art of Aquatic Park are preserved and maintained by San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, a unit of the National Park Service. National Parks around the country are links to this nation’s history, and here in San Francisco the structures and art of Aquatic Park serve as a reminder of the past, a record of progress, and stand as a testament to the enduring hopes of mankind.
#6 Creation of a National Park
Learn about the legacy of Karl Kortum and the creation of San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park.
You’re listening to “Maritime Voices” from San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park. I’m Park Guide Chris Poisant. In this episode, we’ll explore the creation of a national park. (Single bell ring).
Aquatic Park, the small, protected cove of the San Francisco Bay on the west end of Fisherman’s Wharf, was designed for recreation. By the 1930’s, many show up to swim, boat, and fish on the weekends. But by the end of World War II the beach along Aquatic Park was shut down and its buildings lay vacant. After the war, a young man named Karl Kortum, the son of a local chicken rancher, proposed that a museum be established at Aquatic Park. A museum that would celebrate the sea faring history that helped to build the city of San Francisco.
Throughout the United States working ships with notable pasts were being scrapped or abandoned to waste away to the elements. Unlike many scrapyards out to turn a quick profit, it was Kortum’s belief that “a sailing ship, particularly the real thing, could stir the public like nothing else.” His goal was to honor the contributions of real working vessels and the millions of ordinary men who lived at sea, risked their lives at sea, and died at sea, carrying out the ordinary work that would change the history of the world.
Garnering support, Kortum was able to turn his ideas of a maritime museum at Aquatic Park into a reality by 1951. Several years later, the museum acquired the first of its many ships, the 1886 square-rigger Balclutha. At over 300 feet long, with masts 145 feet tall, it was a grand start for a collection of historic ships. Today, Kortum’s idea has grown into something much larger.
In 1977, the collection of historic ships, the Maritime Museum, and even the 35 acres of land known as Aquatic Park, came into the care of the National Park Service. Today, San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park continues the work of preservation passed down from previous generations. Our parks are a legacy and here along the San Francisco waterfront that legacy includes preserving the history and achievements of seafaring Americans, for the enrichment of our present and our future generations. (Sound of bell ringing).
#7 Global Climate Change in the National Parks
The waterfront landscape of San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park has been affected by human-caused change throughout history. More change is likely and far less benign as global climate change may further alter the coastline.
You’re listening to “Maritime Voices” from San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park. In this episode, we’ll consider global climate change.
The only constant in life is change. How many times have you heard that adage? The waterfront landscape before you, is no exception. Aquatic Park, part of San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, represents a mix of natural and cultural processes. Historic ships, like our Balclutha, brought thousands of people to San Francisco more than a hundred years ago. A growing population created demand for more land. The shoreline that you see is not original. It changed overtime as part of the bay was filled and new land was created.
Notice Hyde Street to the south, you may see historic cable cars hauling passengers along the precipitous incline. These hills were pristine sand dunes plunging to a shoreline that was once a half-block south of you. Stroll east along Jefferson Street and Fisherman’s Wharf, past Powell Street and imagine what’s under your feet. Old ships, abandoned by crews eager for a new life on shore were used as landfill. More change is likely and far less benign as global climate change may further alter the coastline.
According to the 2004 Arctic Climate Impact Assessment, “Earths’ climate is changing, with global temperature now rising at a rate unprecedented in the experience of modern human society.” Polar ice caps are melting quickly as are mountain glaciers. As ice melts, sea level rises. Where you are standing could be many feet underwater in 50 years. Much can be done to mitigate warming temperatures by making changes now. This park is among many taking the lead in energy conservation through steps such as solar energy production, use of electric vehicles, and major recycling efforts. We encourage individuals like you to make energy conservation choices at home every day.
National Parks represent a link between our past, our present, and our future by telling the story of our nation’s heritage. As such, National Parks chronicle change. As Park Manager John Morris explains, “Many times during our nation’s history, citizens have confronted difficult circumstances and found creative solutions. Our parks tell these compelling stories. In the future, National Parks may tell the story of our collective success in dealing with climate change and moving to a way of life in greater harmony with the natural processes that operate on our planet.
#8 From Sail to Steam: Bridging Oceans and Cultures
An introduction to San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park.
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 significance of this unique park. San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park preserves our maritime roots, telling amazing stories and providing an authentic link between our past, our present, and our future. Most of the vessels in this park are more than a century old! From a San Francisco ferryboat to a Pacific Coast lumber schooner to a deepwater sailing ship, all of these vessels have contributed to the human history of San Francisco, of California, and of the world. Ships built San Francisco, and the grand age of sail is still alive at Hyde Street Pier. Small sailing sloops, schooners, and a large square-rigged ship continue to shift with the currents of the sea. These vessels carried the food of life, such as California grain, Alaskan salmon, and Scotch whiskey. They also brought warmth and shelter in the form of British coal, Belgian cement, and Pacific Coast lumber. Perhaps more importantly, they carried people with new ideas, creating a blend of cultures and traditions that continue to make California what it is today. Whether built for pleasure or commerce, these sailing vessels still capture the freedom of sky and sea, connecting us with wildness, with the elemental, with our roots. Life is change, and the age of sail evolved into the age of steam as the 19th century progressed. The mechanized efficiency of steam propelled commerce on land and at sea. Steam has powered the dependable tugboat Hercules for more than a century. Steam also drove the ferryboat Eureka across San Francisco Bay for 67 years, transporting millions of people and cars to their offices in San Francisco or to the open roads north of the Golden Gate. Hercules brought lumber to build the cities of California, and Eureka brought people together, building bridges between generations and cultures. San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park protects not only these steam and sailing vessels, but also maritime culture and craftsmanship. We hope these gifts from past generations will promote greater understanding and appreciation of the connection we all share with maritime history. May you enjoy your voyage. Fair Winds!
Eureka
#9 The Only Way Across the Bay
Learn the history and significance of the ferryboat, Eureka.
You’re listening to “Maritime Voices” from San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park. I’m ranger Carol. In this episode we’ll consider the history and significance of the ferryboat Eureka.
Today, the trans-bay commuter has many options for travel. Be it by subway beneath the water, by bridge over the water, or modern ferryboats on the water, choices literally abound. However, during her time, ferryboats like the paddle wheeled Eureka were the only way to cross. Without them, San Francisco would have been cut off from its surroundings and paralyzed for lack of its work force. Eureka is a rare link to this long-ended era.
Although originally built to carry railroad cars, for most of her career Eureka’s staple job was carrying commuters across the bay. On other occasions, she carried automobiles and every once in a while, even carried cattle on their way to market. This last job could provide a lively crossing. One story recounts, “In the early twenties, a cattleman brought his stock to town on the steamer Eureka from Sausalito… [However,] the rope pen was inadequate… One thing led to another, and soon the cattle were trying the stairs, demanding -and getting- attention in the restaurant, and herding a flock of frightened passengers hither and yon in wild disorder.”
After a peak year in 1930, however, the diversity and quantity of Eureka’s passengers and cargo steadily declined. When construction started on the Bay Bridge in 1933 even ferryboat diehards were given a tangible sign that the end was not far off. One story stated “… the towers and girders that seemed to rise out of the Bay were recognized… as a gallows for the ferryboats.”
For Eureka the end finally came in 1957 when she suffered a minor engine break down. Although an easy fix, it was the final and ever-so-gentle nudge that pushed her off the precipice of commercial feasibility. Eureka would steam no more. If you look and listen carefully, however, you can still picture the white-water tracks of paddle wheels across the bay, the two thousand odd commuters during rush hour, and hear the cacophony of footsteps, and perhaps a hoof step or two, echoing off the wooden decks.
#10 The Passenger Experience: A Culture of Its Own
You’re listening to “Maritime Voices” from San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park. I’m ranger Carol. In this episode we’ll imagine taking a ride on the ferryboat Eureka.
If you could have looked upon the ferryboat Eureka in 1930, you would have witnessed the peak of ferry travel across San Francisco Bay. Imagine being a newcomer to this scene.
After buying a ticket in the Ferry Building in San Francisco, you make your way to the waiting area and then down a creosote-scented corridor. Suddenly you are in the open and confronted by the huge white mass of the Eureka. You step onto her wooden lower deck, make your way up a large stairway, and then inside. You see row upon row of pew-like seats facing both directions. After settling yourself in one of them you are suddenly confronted by a man with a perturbed expression.
Man: “Excuse me, but you’re sitting in my seat.”
Narrator: “I’m sorry, I didn’t know this seat was reserved.”
Man: “Well, these seats aren’t technically reserved, but this is where I always sit. All of us here play cards. That’s why we’re sitting together. If you look around, you’ll see other groups involved with checkers, book discussions, or whatever. But this here is my seat.” As you rise and look around you see that the whole deck is filled with these groups.
Looking for a new seat, you walk past the bustling restaurant with the aroma of roast beef and vegetable soup. Then you step out onto the open deck where you smell the salt-air and you notice the Eureka is underway. You see the receding skyline of the city and the white paddle wheel tracks left astern in the waters of the bay. You feel the magic of the Eureka and no longer feel like a newcomer. Now you understand how this boat has become a floating home to its passengers.
Finally, as Eureka docks at the end of her trip in Sausalito, you find yourself thinking about next time. No other ferryboat will do. You will want to ride only on your boat, the Eureka.
You’re listening to “Maritime Voices” from San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park. In this episode we’ll explore the ferryboat Eureka, a steam juggernaut.
When you step into in the engine room of the ferryboat Eureka you’re taking a step back in time. Imagine Eureka’s engine during its heyday of operation in the 1930s.
Stepping inside, it’s hard not to feel insignificant. The engine is of a type referred to as a walking beam steam engine. It gets the name from the diamond shaped beam mounted at the top that rocks back and forth like a seesaw. This titan of an engine is five stories tall, it has only one cylinder of 65 inch bore and 12 foot stroke, and this mammoth engine is then connected to two 27 foot diameter paddle wheels.
However, despite these dinosaur-like proportions, without its crew the engine would remain silent and Eureka immobile. Upon climbing down to the deepest parts of the engine room, you see two crewmen toil at Eureka’s boilers. You notice that they keep a wary watch on the steam and water gauges and every so often they jump to some seemingly offending valve and nudge it one way or another. Elsewhere, you notice other crew scampering back and forth and up and down the five story engine. Wherever an extra bit of lubricating oil is required they are on hand to administer it.
Overseeing the crewmen are the chief and first engineers. They’re standing watch on a perch-like platform which gives them access to all of the important engine controls. You see one of them slaving away with a long metal bar, pushing it up and down, to manually open and close a series of valves to start the engine. It looks easy, but only a practiced hand with the right amount of finesse can get the engine started correctly.
Finally, you notice the swishing white noise of the paddle wheels churning through the water and you hear the breath-like whoosh as steam exerts itself within this juggernaut of an engine.
Stepping back onto the main deck, this world slowly fades to silence as the present day reasserts itself. Even today, this juggernaut of an engine reminds us of an era when steam ruled the waterways.
C.A. Thayer
#12 A Story of Survival
The history and significance of the schooner C.A. Thayer.
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 history and significance of the schooner C.A. Thayer. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow once wrote: “Build me straight, O worthy master, Staunch and strong, a goodly vessel, That shall laugh at all disaster, And with wave and whirlwind wrestle.” Built in 1895 for the West Coast lumber trade, the C.A. Thayer had an expected working life of 25 years. During this time, the lumber trade connected Pacific Coast people, towns and cities, and it was unmatched in its regional economic importance. Constructed of the same Douglas-fir that she frequently carried as cargo, the C.A. Thayer helped to build San Francisco and then to rebuild the city after the devastating earthquake and fire of 1906. Steam technology forced her retirement from the lumber trade, but the Thayer stayed alive by adapting to new careers. Supporting salmon and codfishing operations in Alaska, she helped feed the people of the Pacific Coast. In 1950, she was the last large sailing vessel to make a commercial voyage on the West Coast. Of more than 500 sailing vessels built for the lumber trade, she is one of only two that still survive. By the late 20th century, old age had horribly deformed her hull. Her wood was rotten and splitting apart. Was she worth saving? In the words of Stephen Canright, “She brings us into physical contact with the thoughts and the experiences of her builders and crews, challenging us to learn from her. Her form and fabric speak of the lumber coast, her rigging and gear of the lives of her men. We must take the time to hear them, and then work to insure that these voices are not silenced.” As a working schooner, Thayer served the people of the West Coast. As a National Historic Landmark, she currently serves the people of the world. The National Park Service preserves the C.A. Thayer, offering insight and inspiration to another generation.
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 preservation of the schooner C.A. Thayer. By 1995, after a century afloat, the C.A. Thayer had lost her curve. The same design that helped her survive the dangerous Pacific Coast eventually almost ripped her apart. A master shipbuilder, Hans Bendixsen built the Thayer in California for sailing on the West Coast. He carefully crafted her hull to be not only shallow enough to clear the hazardous sand bars of the West Coast, but also wide enough to remain stable in wild Pacific storms. However, her bow and stern were relatively narrow to provide for reasonable speed and handling. As the Douglas-fir from which she was built became rotten with age, her narrow, less buoyant bow and stern began to sag. The sagging became severe, and like an old warrior with brittle bones, her spine began to crack. Just as her life was coming to an end, the C.A. Thayer was reborn. After a major restoration, she returned home to San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park in 2007. The scale of this renovation was unprecedented in the history of modern maritime preservation. Thayer was stripped to the core, revealing the shipbuilding secrets of Hans Bendixsen. With this new knowledge, our appreciation grew for the minds and hands of those who crafted her. Much more than a schooner has been saved. Park superintendent Kate Richardson said, “This project has been a labor of love for all of us who were privileged to be involved. On a practical level, we have preserved a vital piece of American history and culture. On an emotional level, we have breathed life back into the hopes and dreams of the men and women who lived on, for, and by the sea. Thayer is a legacy of opportunity and independence that I am proud to pass along to future generations.” Indeed, the very mission of the National Park Service includes preserving such gifts from the past. Today, if you were to walk forward from the captain’s cabin to the bow of the C.A. Thayer, you would notice that you are walking up an incline. Structurally sound once again, she has regained her curve and is ready for another century of service.
#14 Good Wood: Preserving Ships and Forests
The natural and cultural treasures that the National Park Service preserves.
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 natural and cultural treasures that the National Park Service preserves. On foggy, damp San Francisco mornings, I like to go down into the cargo hold of the C.A. Thayer, put my hands on wood that is centuries old, and think about its history. At the center of the C.A. Thayer are massive beams of Douglas-fir. This wood, like the many loads of Douglas-fir that Thayer carried to San Francisco, came from old-growth forests of the Pacific Northwest. This wood came from a tree reaching hundreds of feet to the sky that witnessed hundreds of years of foggy, damp mornings. What is the value of a tree and a forest? In the Pacific Northwest, an old-growth forest is home for spotted owls and northern goshawks. A massive tree might be the only one in an area with branches wide enough to hold the egg of a marbled murrelet. A group of trees work together to anchor the soil. They filter the air, absorbing carbon dioxide and safely storing it in their woody tissue. Over a century ago, many old-growth trees were harvested to build the Victorian homes of San Francisco, providing shelter for families to gather around warm fireplaces through the cold, wet nights of winter. What is the value of a tree? In our choices and actions, we answer this question everyday. The National Park Service now preserves old-growth forests of the Northwest, and it also preserves historic ships. Over the past half-century, the C.A Thayer has served as an overnight home for thousands of children involved in educational programs. Thayer has also witnessed monthly gatherings of music lovers coming together to sing traditional maritime songs. [Fade in with chanty as background.] More than a hundred voices would fill her cargo hold with chanties evoking the humor, sadness, and longing of the men and women who lived and worked on the sea. Today, the forest communities of the Northwest are alive with the songs of birds and mammals. On this day, the Thayer is also alive with musical echoes resounding with a love for ships and the sea. This love has kept the Thayer afloat for more than a century. Take a moment to listen to the music.
#15 Sail, Steam, and Self-Reliance
Learn about the connections between sailing ships and steam ships.
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 meanings connected with sailing ships and steam ships. By the start of the 20th century, the Age of Sail was fading as the Age of Steam gained power. Manifesting this change, the steam tugboat Hercules towed the C. A. Thayer north from San Francisco in 1916. Perhaps the two captains talked about their ships and their lives at sea. The captain of the Hercules must have been very proud of his triple expansion steam engine that enabled him to set a course directly into the prevailing northerly winds of the Pacific Coast. He may have been a bit smug in proclaiming that the passage would be twice as fast as a trip in which Thayer sailed under her own power. Undoubtedly, the power of his engine gave him confidence that they would not be tossed upon the rocks of the dangerous West Coast. With his chief engineer able to repair any problems, Hercules was completely self-reliant. To her captain, the rhythmic hum of her engine was a satisfying sound of speed and safety. But for the captain of the Thayer, the steam engine was a noisy and smelly beast with a jangling vibration that ran through his feet and up his spine, making his head hurt. With a passionate glint in his eye, he would speak of feeling a sailing ship rocking under his feet and deeply inhaling the clean, salty breeze as if his life depended on it. Ah, the simple freedom of the winds of heaven! He had no desire to conquer nature with an engine. His power came from a direct connection with the water, sky, and stars, a self-reliance born of harmonizing with these familiar elements, of connecting with God. He must have sighed deeply with sadness in reflecting upon the fading future of the Age of Sail. Yet perhaps he took comfort in knowing that wind is limitless and free, and people will always yearn to feel the sea and sky. San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park preserves the C.A. Thayer as a link between our past, our present, and our future.
Eppleton Hall
#16 Survival of an Underdog
Learn the story of survival for the steam tugboat, Eppleton Hall.
You’re listening to “Maritime Voices” from San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park. I’m ranger Chris Edwards. In this episode, we’ll consider the history and survival of the steam tugboat, Eppleton Hall.
With her rounded paddle wheel boxes looking like bulging biceps and her tall smoke stack belying her steam power plant, the Eppleton Hall presents an image of strength. However, perhaps the best description for this small river and harbor tugboat is improbable. For, the Eppleton Hall is one of the last of her kind and her survival is the story of an underdog.
If you’d lived in the early days of San Francisco, the sight of a paddle steamer would have been common. Today, paddle boats are rare and paddle tugs even more so. By the time the founders of this park tried to save one there were none left in San Francisco Bay. They had to go far and wide and invest much more money, time, and work to bring the Eppleton Hall here to San Francisco. Her birth was in South Shields, England on the Tyne River. And that was the place to which her rescuers traveled to bring her to a new home.
However, the old tugboat they found in England was far from seaworthy. When they first started work on her she was a burned-out hulk and water freely flowed in and out of several holes in the hull. Through the miracle of perseverance, in little more than five months, the Eppleton Hall had passed all government inspections and was ready for her trip across the Atlantic Ocean to San Francisco.
Six months later, after several storms and one instance of running out of fuel, the Eppleton Hall steamed into San Francisco Bay. She was never designed to cross an ocean, and given her previously dilapidated condition, she had completed a trip that many would have considered impossible.
When she was new in the year 1914, no one would have thought the Eppleton Hall would survive to be one of the last paddle wheel tugboats and that her survival would bring her halfway across the world to San Francisco. “Improbable” they would have said. “Improbable.”
#17 On the Inside
Learn the inner workings of the steam tug, Eppleton Hall.
You’re listening to “Maritime Voices” from San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park. I’m Park Guide Chris Poisant. In this episode, we’ll consider the inner workings of the steam tug Eppleton Hall.
Just like people, the uniqueness of a ship is often defined by what is on the inside. The heart of the Eppleton Hall is her propulsion plant, and it has a personality all its own.
This propulsion plant consists of two flue type boilers and two “grasshopper” type steam engines. In its most simple method of operation, the boilers operated like two giant tea kettles heating water and sending steam into the single cylinder of each engine. The pressure of this steam then pushed on the piston which in turn rotated a crank that turned one of the ship’s two paddle wheels.
During the voyage to San Francisco the engines, which came to be named “Nip” and “Tuck”, more than once showed how independent their personalities were. “Nip”, the port side engine, was always described as cheerful and loyal in its reliability. “Tuck”, however, was taciturn, strong minded, and fickle. Never reliable as to whether a task was going to be easy or challenging.
Imagine the stepping in to the engine room and being witness to these personalities interacting. Down below, the boilers, like lungs “…breath in great gobs of fire and exhale equally great amounts of steam…” Turning toward the engines, you see a Rube Goldberg like array of levers, rods, and cranks moving around and back-and-forth in astonishing harmony. Topping it off, the engines perform a mechanical symphony. “Thump-squeak-bang-bang-wheeze-whine-crash. Thump-squeak-bang-bang-wheeze-whine-crash.”
Stepping out of the engine room you feel the cool breeze on your face as the ship slowly steams across the surface of the water. The smoke rising from the stack is the only reminder of the invisible symphony beneath your feet. Ships, you realize, are like people. Often what makes them unique is the unseen.
Balclutha
#18 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.
#19 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.
#20 Charting a Musical Course Through Maritime History
Sailors sang all day to sustain themselves at sea. Today, their songs are a porthole into maritime history.
You’re listening to “Maritime Voices” from San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park. In this episode, we will chart a musical course through maritime history.
We are anchored in maritime history through music and song, an integral part of life at sea. Intrepid sailors sang all day to sustain themselves at sea – their songs today, a musical porthole into maritime history.
For the ordinary sailor on a 19th century deepwater ship, work was grueling and dangerous. Songs were key to survival for sailors who were permitted to sing while they worked, but not allowed to talk. Sea chanteys – believed to be from the French “chanter,” to sing – were traditional work songs sung by sailors to lift their spirits and to maintain rhythm, essential for working as a team.
(Sung, the lines alternating between sung solo and sung as a group) The winds was foul, all work no play, Leave her Johnny, leave her, To Liverpool docks from Frisco Bay, And it’s time for us to leave her.
The grub was bad, and the wage was low, Leave her Johnny, leave her, But now once more ashore we’ll go, And it’s time for us to leave her.
Created by sailors, chantey lyrics are firsthand accounts of shipboard life. Through chanteys, sailors could air grievances that they could not otherwise voice. A vital source of historical information, the songs of mariners’ lives, dreams, and universal human emotions transport us to another place and time.
San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park preserves our maritime heritage through the rich and varied music of the sea. This ensures present and future generations can maintain a connection, a mooring, to their maritime past.
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.
#22 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!
Hercules
#23 The Last of Her Kind
Explore the last surviving steam powered ocean tug in the United States, the Hercules.
You’re listening to “Maritime Voices” from San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park. This is Park Guide, Chris Poisant. In this episode, we’ll explore the Hercules, the last of her kind.
Built in 1907, the Hercules is the last surviving steam powered ocean tug in the United States. Her story combines technology and humanity in a way that no other surviving vessel can do today.
Technologically, her ocean-going capability is often a big surprise as most people consider tugboats to be small harbor-bound vessels that only assist big ships in docking or undocking. However, with her size, design, engine power, and 8,000-mile cruising radius anything that could float could be towed by the Hercules on the open ocean. Just like harbor tugs, though, in order to do this job Hercules had to have a powerful propulsion system. In fact, approximately two thirds of Hercules’ interior is occupied by this system. In this way, she aptly fits the tugboat metaphor of being “an engine with a hull around it.”
The technical side of Hercules’ history, however, in no way overshadows her human history. In fact, on any particular voyage Hercules was packed with humanity. On her first voyage her crew list records 17 people on board! Imagine living in such close quarters. Few comforts would be available with so little privacy and even fewer secrets could be kept. This way of life was made all the more challenging during the periodic bouts of bad weather. Documented crew accounts tell of horrendous waves that Hercules encountered during storms. At one point during her first voyage, these waves actually resulted in five feet of water flooding into the tug!
This combined story of technology and humanity accompanied the Hercules throughout her career. Her preservation as a national landmark ensures that it will be sure to captivate park visitors far into the future.
#24 The Good and the Bad: Life Aboard Hercules
Explore the challenges and excitement of life aboard the steam tug Hercules.
You’re listening to “Maritime Voices” from San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park. I’m ranger Mark Neuweld. In this episode, we’ll consider life aboard the steam tug Hercules.
Life on Hercules was a mix of experiences and emotions. Although a voyage offered a sailor the opportunity for solid employment and adventure, this could be tempered by discomfort if a storm was encountered during the trip.
On her first voyage, Hercules sailed from Camden, New Jersey around South America and then back north to San Francisco. This trip lasted 72 days and took her through two big storms.
Harry Frank, one of her crew, wrote a letter to his girlfriend in which he stated “Friday… the boat was rolling so much that one could hardly walk. In going from one place to another we had to hang on to anything we could get a hold of.…in the mess room when the mess boy would give you anything on a plate, you could not set the plate on the table but had to hold it in you hands [and] while sitting at the table you had to brace yourself or it would be no time at all before you were under the table or lying in some corner.”
Later, Harry reflected on one of the pleasures of the trip when he stated… “…we have seen flying fish by the thousands. At night lots of them land on deck. They are fine eating. Some nights we caught as [many] as two dozen of them.”
In the end Harry Frank summed up his Hercules voyage to his girlfriend by saying “Dear if you…would ask me ‘how did you enjoy your trip?’, there are two answers to that question. I enjoyed the trip very much and I am not anxious for another experience like this…”
#25 Power and Danger
Learn of the danger that came with working aboard the steam tug Hercules.
You’re listening to “Maritime Voices” from San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park. In this episode, we’ll consider the danger of work aboard the steam tug Hercules.
On her delivery voyage, Hercules towed her sister ship Goliah 13,500 miles from Camden, New Jersey all the way to San Francisco. It took power and strength to do a job like this. In this one act, Hercules proved that she and the propulsion system inside of her to accomplish practically any tow. However, with such great power also comes danger.
At the heart of this system is a 500-horsepower triple expansion steam engine. Of the two crewmen normally on duty in the engine room, one of them had the responsibility of oiling all the moving parts. Imagine the dangers of this work while at sea in a storm! With the deck heaving beneath your feet and the engine hissing and clanking at full power you reach in between the flashing and churning engine parts to add the right amount of oil to wherever it is needed. “Don’t slip!” you say to yourself. In fact, one manual you had read warned… “…many fingers have been lost doing this job.” In this case, you are worried about more than just your fingers.
Forward of the engine room, deep within the Hercules’ belly, is the boiler room. In this room stands a 14-foot-tall scotch fire tube boiler. This boiler was the source of all of Hercules’ strength, but like the engine, it too offered danger. Although equipped with many safety devices, if improperly cared for it could become a potential time bomb. With only one crewman on duty at a time, at night during a storm this job could be very unnerving. Consider such a situation. With Hercules behaving like a rollercoaster on the waves, up and down, up and down, and more light coming from the licking flames in the furnaces than the light bulbs down below, you would be working in an unstable world of flickering shadows. Steam gauges, water level gauges, and fuel temperature gauges must always be monitored and any adjustment to machinery instantly applied. Neglect could result in the eruption of a deadly steam explosion.
From her engine to boiler, with her potential of power and danger, the crew of the Hercules could not afford to be careless.
Alma and Small Craft
#26 A Local Lifeline
The history and significance of the 1891, San Francisco Bay scow schooner Alma.
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 history and significance of the scow schooner Alma. Compared with the majestic Balclutha, Alma is a homebody. Built specifically for a hard-working life on San Francisco Bay, she has sailed local inland channels since 1891. Like modern flat bed freight trucks, she was designed to carry cargo. Before construction of the famous bridges of San Francisco Bay, Alma and hundreds of other scow schooners used waterways as highways to connect isolated communities of the Bay Area. A century ago in the town of Petaluma, residents would welcome Alma with excitement, for she was a lifeline to another world. What news and goods did she bring from San Francisco? San Francisco Bay scow schooners date back to the gold rush. In the days when the city ran on horses instead of cars, hay was as important as oil is today. Alma supplied Bay Area communities not only with hay, but also with other essential food and shelter, including grain, bricks, and lumber. San Franciscans would greet Alma with good cheer, for she might be carrying fresh eggs for breakfast from Petaluma. Scow schooners also connected families and friends in more direct ways. The scows were sometimes used for festive parties with music, dancing, picnicking and swimming. Alma Peterson has pleasant memories of such special days at Paradise Cove, north of San Francisco. “We’d take the husbands and the wives and the kids and old friends. We’d get over there and drink beer.” An estimated 400 scow schooners were built on San Francisco Bay, and Alma is the last of her kind. She still connects the communities of the Bay Area by participating in local maritime events and celebrations. San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park preserves Alma as a living monument to the tradition of local maritime commerce.
You’re listening to “Maritime Voices” from San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park. I’m Alice Watts, first mate on the scow schooner Alma. In this episode, we’ll consider the 1891 scow schooner Alma, more alive than ever!
Do you ever long for the “good old days?” If ships have souls, as some people believe, then the Alma may long for them too. although old in age, with her modern crew the Alma proves that she is still young in spirit. Listen to her new crew as this spirit is revealed.
“It’s like sailing your front porch…” states Al Lutz, Captain of the Alma. And, with her rectangular design not many people would argue with him. However, it took Al some time to learn how to sail a porch. Eventually, Captain Lutz realized that Alma’s sailing qualities were ideal for sailing on San Francisco Bay as well as up rivers and he regularly puts these qualities to use.
One such use is the “Gunk-Holing” trip. This trip takes her up quiet inland waterways, just as she would have done during her working days. And, with only three or four people to actually sail her, the trip proves to be physically exhausting. The trip also has its enlightening moments.
Alma’s first mate, Alice Watts, described one such experience. “It was like taking Alma back in time…” she said. “One time we used the current to carry us along. No sails were up, and the engines were off. It was so serene…”
Al and Alice also have tales of sailing Alma in the Master Mariners’ race in San Francisco Bay. This is a prestigious race that was first staged in 1867. Historically, participants were sailing merchant vessels, including many scow schooners. Today, participants include traditional sailing craft, historic replicas, and the Alma.
Al describes this race as “…beautiful or hell depending upon the wind and current.” In 2001, however, there was little current at all, and Alma took first place in her class! Not since the year 1870 had a scow schooner ever finished first.
Some look upon Alma and describe her as an “old ship.” In spite of her age, with her modern crew Alma maintains her vitality and proves she is not dead history.
#28 The Significance of Small Craft
Learn more about the historic small craft of the San Francisco Bay Area, which were as diverse and colorful as the people who owned and operated them.
You’re listening to Maritime Voices from San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park. I’m….. In this episode we’ll celebrate the small boats on display at Hyde Street Pier, a splash of local color. The historic boats of the San Francisco Bay Area were as diverse and colorful as the people who lived and worked here. Boat and sail shapes from maritime traditions all over the world have graced these waters. When you look at the Park’s bright blue and yellow felucca Nuovo Mondo, it’s as if you are suddenly transported to the sunny, turquoise waters of the Coast of Italy. The Nuovo Mondo is indeed a very Mediterranean boat, with her triangular, lateen sail rig, and her beamy, double-ended shape. The Park’s shrimp junk, Grace Quan, on the other hand, hails from the other side of the world! She is every bit a Southern Chinese boat, with her deep red black hull, and her brown, fan-like battened sail. Imagine a bay where scores of these two dramatic and beautiful sails daily shared the golden Bay horizon in their immigrant owners quest for fish! Even after the days of sail were replaced by the age of motors, the working boats of San Francisco Bay were built with a unique flair and beauty. The Park’s Monterey boat, the Wetton, was built 1923 by Dominic Labruzzi, and her graceful, sweeping shape is very much in the Italian tradition. Labruzzi ‘s shop was just one block away along Fisherman’s Wharf. Now that’s local, and that’s Italian! Another San Francisco local yocal is the Park’s tugboat TELCO. She was built in 1939 just across the Golden Gate in Sausalito and worked for over fifty years for Pacific Bell Telephone company, helping to lay and repair Bay’s network of underwater phone cables. The TELCO is one of last small wooden tugs on the coast – as salty old timer from Sausalito ––her strength still comes in handy in waterborne work around the Aquatic Park Lagoon. Not all of life is about work, though, and neither are boats! Sailing has long been a favorite local sport, and the Park maintains a number of the Bay Area’s best-loved racing yachts from the 1930s.The Merry Bear is the most famous of these: small, swift and strong, she impressed enough sailors to inspire the construction of 68 more just like her over the next few decades, making her easily the most popular local yacht of her day! Her simple beauty adds to the colorful and unique parade of San Francisco Bay’s historic boats! Ready About!
Last updated: July 31, 2025
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Contact Info
Mailing Address:
2 Marina Boulevard,
Building E, 2nd Floor
San Francisco,
CA
94123
Phone:
415 447-5000
Visitor Center staff can be reached every day from 10 AM to 5 PM.
