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National Maritime Museum

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miadelie
miadelie
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3 out of 5
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Editor Pick

San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park

  • May 6, 2007
  • Rated 4 of 5 by callen60 from Ozarks, Missouri
San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park

We had time for one last excursion before our noon flight. Anxious to get the most out of our convertible, we put down the top and crossed the hill through Chinatown and down to Fisherman’s Wharf. It was early enough to see school kids at the crossings, and the tourist businesses were just waking up along Beach Street. Parking was easy to find at Aquatic Park, and we stepped out onto the small plaza in front of the pier.

The day was gorgeous, just like the last two. The morning sun glistened off the gentle waves on the bay, and the two dozen boats were nearly motionless. As we considered what to do, a ranger opened the gate to the pier, and we figured there were few options better than strolling out to the end. After just a few steps, we could see the hills of Marin rising up over Alcatraz, with the Bridge off to the west.

Boarding the ships usually requires an admission after 11am (at least today). A variety of vessels are here (including six National Historic Landmarks), illustrating San Francisco’s dependence on and delight in the sea. Most are working ships, such as the lumber schooner C.A. Thayer, built in 1895 for transporting hundreds of thousands of board feet, usually from a Washington State mill. The advent of steam power forced her into salmon and cod fishing, and even carried ammunition during WWII. Thayer just returned from an extensive, four-year restoration, and is one of only two existing lumber schooners. An exhibit on cargo and trade was still under development in her hold.

Balclutha is a Scottish square-rigger a decade older than Thayer. Originally built to bring coal to San Francisco and return around Cape Horn with wheat, she ended her trading days as part of the salmon fleet ferrying Alaskan catches southward and men and supplies the other direction.

Eureka is moored on the pier’s eastern side, one of the ferries that were an integral part of San Francisco before the bridge. Originally built for rail cars, Eureka was modified to be an automobile ferry. This is a reminder that she was once essentially part of US 101, which out Hyde Street Pier, where ferries left for Sausalito. Of course, the Redwood Highway moved a bit east when the Bridge opened in 1937.

Smaller fishing boats, steam schooners, and tugs are also here. Several were restored in the boatyards at the head of Hyde Street Pier, a reminder of the role boatbuilding in San Francisco’s history. Supplying the city’s food required ships before the construction of the Bridge—for example, dairy products from the Olema Valley (where we’d spent the previous day) arrived by schooner on a daily basis.

We had the pier to ourselves for 90 minutes. It’s as close as you can come to being out on the water, and the view across the bay in all directions is tremendous. Given enough time, I’ll come back here on future visits, although I may choose to retain my landlubber status.

From journal Back to the Bay

Editor Pick

National Maritime Museum

  • May 18, 2006
  • Rated 1 of 5 by miadelie from Minneapolis, Minnesota
I went to the National Maritime Museum for the first time on this visit. I am into boats, and the museum was free. So I thought, hey, why not!?! Well, now I know why not. I found this museum to be boring. Nothing more to it. I found the highlights to be the figureheads from different ships over the years, and the Morse code working light machine. The Morse code machine was for the kids to play with, but there was little else interesting there. The Morse code shot out over the bay, and you had to wonder if boats were picking up what you were doing in the fog. Anyhow, there's lots of uninteresting artifacts in the museum, such as pieces of wood from an old boat, or an old hammer from making the boat. Some people may find this museum interesting, but coming from someone who has an intense interests in boats, I doubt it. There's a reason this one is free.

From journal Fresh & Fishy San Francisco!

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