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A guide to the C.A. Thayer (built 1895; schooner, 3m) restoration records, 1972-2016
HDC1765 (SAFR 24806)
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Title: C.A. Thayer (built 1895; schooner, 3m) restoration records
Date: 1972-2016
Date (bulk): 1998-2007
Identifier/Call Number: HDC1765 (SAFR 24806)
Creator:
San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park (Agency : U.S.)
Physical Description:
29532 items.
Repository:
San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, Historic Documents Department
Building E, Fort Mason
San Francisco, CA 94123
Abstract: The C.A. Thayer (built 1895; schooner, 3m) restoration records, 1972-2016, bulk 1998-2007, (SAFR 24806, HDC 1765) consist
of 5.4 linear feet of documents, photographs, audiocassettes, and VHS tapes as well as 20,892 digital files comprised mainly
of San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park (SFMNHP) project management documents created during the 2003-2007 C.A.
THAYER restoration construction project. The collection has been processed to the File Unit level and is open for use.
Physical Location: San Francisco Maritime NHP, Historic Documents Department
Language(s):
In English.
This collection is open for use unless otherwise noted.
Some material may be copyrighted or restricted. It is the researcher's obligation to determine and satisfy copyright or other
case restrictions when publishing or otherwise distributing materials found in the collections.
The collection level extent is an estimate of the item count. Due to the National Park Service's Interior Collection Management
System (ICMS) database limitations in describing the collection extent, the system currently only allows reporting the extent
in terms of a single value in either linear feet or individual item count. The collection is made up of 5.4 LF of paper documents,
photographs, audiocassette tapes, and VHS tapes as well as 20,892 digital files. The linear feet was multiplied by a standard
of 1600 items per LF for an item count of 8,640 items. This count was added to the 20,892 digital files for a final item count
of 29,532. The Series and File Unit descriptions consist of a more detailed and accurate breakdown of the collection extents.
Duplicate digital files that appeared in the same folder were removed. When digital files not organized into subfolders by
the staff member from whom the files were collected were found to duplicate files that had been organized into subfolders,
the unsorted files were not preserved. In some cases, an entire folder with files that duplicated those within another folder
were not retained for preservation. However, some duplicate digital files remain in the collection. They may have come from
different sources, or they are from the same source but could have been used for different purposes.
The descriptions in this collection guide were compiled using the best available sources of information. Such sources include
the creator's annotations or descriptions, collection accession files, primary and secondary source material and subject matter
experts. While every effort was made to provide accurate information, in the event that you find any errors in this guide
please contact the reference staff in order for us to evaulate and make corrections to this guide.
Please cite the title and collection number in any correspondence with our staff.
[Item description], [Location within collection organization identified by Collection Number/Series Number/File Unit Number/Item
Number], HDC1765 (SAFR 24806), C.A. Thayer (built 1895; schooner, 3m) restoration records, San Francisco Maritime National
Historical Park
SAFR-02383
SAFR-02514
The primary accession (SAFR-02383) consisted of paper documents acquired from the office of Michael Bell, Project Manager,
in August 2015. In addition, his electronic records were captured from his computer hard drive and the park shared network
server in December 2015 and February 2016. The paper documents were received in multiple folders with no formal arrangement.
An additional accession (SAFR-02514) consisted of paper documents acquired from the office of Robbyn Jackson, Chief of Cultural
Resources and Museum Management, in November 2015. The documents were received in one large folder. Her electronic documents
were captured from her computer hard drive in May 2016.
Historical or Biographical Note
The wooden-hulled, three-masted schooner C.A. THAYER was built in 1895 at Hans D. Bendixsen's shipyard in Fairhaven, California.
Originally designed to carry lumber, she also served in the Alaska salmon and codfishing industries. With her final codfishing
voyage in 1950, C.A. THAYER became the last operating American commercial sailing vessel on the West Coast. Today she is preserved
at San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park as the last surviving example of a West Coast lumber schooner.
| 1895 July 9 | Launched at Hans D. Bendixsen's shipyard in Fairhaven, California. |
| 1895-1912 | Operated by the E.K. Wood Lumber Company for use in the lumber trade. |
| 1912-1924 | Purchased by "Whitehead" Pete Nelson for use in the Alaska Salmon industry. |
| 1924-1931 | Purchased by Captain J.E. Shields of the Pacific Coast Codfishing Company of Poulsbo, Washington, for use in the Bering Sea codfishing industry. |
| 1932-1942 | Laid up at Lake Union, Seattle, Washington. |
| 1942-1945 | Requisitioned by the United States Army for use as a barge. |
| 1946-1950 | Repurchased by Captain Shields for use in the Bering Sea codfishing industry. |
| 1950-1954 | Laid up at Lake Union, Seattle, Washington. |
| 1954-1957 | Purchased by Charles McNeal for use as a beached "pirate ship" attraction at Hood Canal, Washington. |
| 1957-present | Museum vessel. Purchased by the State of California in 1957. |
Ownership transferred to the National Park Service in 1978 as part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. The Maritime
Unit became a separate national park called the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park in 1988. C.A. THAYER was placed
on the National Register of Historic Places in 1966 and designated a National Historic Landmark 1984.
C.A. THAYER's 1895 lumber schooner design was modified over the years to suit her career in the fishing industry and as an
army barge. Since becoming a museum vessel in 1957, C.A. THAYER has undergone various haulouts and repairs with the ultimate
goal of restoring her to her original 1895 appearance.
Her restoration began in May 1957 at the Lake Union Drydock Company in Seattle, Washington, to prepare her for sailing to
San Francisco, California. She underwent more extensive work before she opened to the public at Hyde Street Pier in 1963.
By 2003, dry rot threatened the structural integrity of her 108-year-old hull. She was drydocked from December 2003 to April
2007 for major restoration work where approximately 80% of her lumber was replaced. Since then, the aft house has been rebuilt,
and in 2016 she received new masts and rigging.
For a timeline of C.A. THAYER repairs from 1957-1989, see pages 19-26 of the Schooner C.A. Thayer Historic Structure Report
1991 Draft prepared by Tri-Coastal Marine, Inc. (San Francisco: San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, 1991.)
The C.A. Thayer (built 1895; schooner, 3m) restoration records, 1972-2016, bulk 1998-2007, (SAFR 24806, HDC 1765) consist
of 5.4 linear feet of documents, photographs, audiocassettes, and VHS tapes as well as 20,892 digital files comprised mainly
of San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park (SFMNHP) project management documents created during the 2003-2007 C.A.
THAYER restoration construction project. The collection has been processed to the File Unit level and is open for use.
The collection contains documents primarily created during the planning and 2003 to 2007 construction work for the rehabilitation
of C.A. THAYER (built 1895; schooner, 3m). The records include research and reference materials from as far back as 1972 and
records covering the planning for the project starting in 1998. The collection contains documents and photographs in both
physical and digital forms, as well as audiocassettes and a VHS videotape.
The major C.A. THAYER restoration work, which involved replacing approximately 80% of her lumber, was completed as part of
PMIS 5588, package SAFR 643. The construction contract was awarded to Bay Ship & Yacht Co. of Alameda, California. After towing
to the Bay Ship & Yacht Co. shipyard in December 2003, C.A. THAYER was placed in a cradle atop house-moving dollies. She was
rolled onto a barge that was towed around the coast of Alameda to the site of the former Alameda Naval Air Station where she
was placed inside a aircraft hangar for the duration of the construction work until 2007. Workers patterned new pieces for
the vessel directly from the deteriorated wood they removed.
Architect and engineering services were provided during the project by BMT Designers & Planners, Inc. They were involved with
the value analysis report, lumber lists, cost estimates, drawings, and other tasks. Allen C. Rawl, Inc., a subcontractor for
BMT Designers & Planners, Inc., provided construction management support. The National Park Service entered into an interagency
agreement with the Defense Logistics Agency, part of the United States Department of Defense, to purchase wood for the rebuild
through prime vendor Sylvan Forest Products. Other National Park Service staff from the Denver Service Center, Golden Gate
National Recreation Area contracting, and Pacific West Region office were also involved with the project.
The materials in the collection were created by Park staff and collected from the contractors involved in the restoration
project. They cover various stages of the project, including initialization, planning, execution, and monitoring. Some items
consist of contracts and task orders; timber or lumber lists and acquisition documents; budget and invoicing documents; vessel
drawings; photograph documentation; and various reports such as the environmental assessment and value analysis.
The collection also includes documents and photographs related to C.A. THAYER drydockings in the 1980s, 1995, 1998, 2001,
and 2011.
The collection is arranged into two series by the office from which the materials originated: Series 1. Project Manager files
and Series 2. Chief of Cultural Resources and Museum Management files.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Schooners
Historic ships
Ships--Preservation
Ships--Reconstruction
Ships--Maintenance and repair
Maritime museums
C.A. Thayer (built 1895; schooner, 3m)
San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park (Agency : U.S.)
Bay Ship & Yacht Co.
BMT Designers & Planners, Inc.
Allen C. Rawl, Inc.
San Francisco (Calif.)
Alameda (Calif.)
Agreements
Audiocassettes
Color negatives
Color prints (photographs)
Color slides
Contracts
Correspondence
Digital file formats
Drafts (documents)
Memorandums
Photocopies
Reports
Administrative records