Access
Publication and Use Rights
Processing Note
Preferred Citation
Acquisition Information
Historical or Biographical Note
Collection Scope and Content
Collection Arrangement
Related Materials
Title: Golden Gate National Recreation Area National Maritime Museum photographs and media
Date: 1977-1988
Identifier/Call Number: P91-069 (SAFR 22245)
Creator:
Golden Gate National Recreation Area (Agency : U.S.)
Physical Description:
1518 items.
Some items available online.
Repository:
San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, Historic Documents Department
Building E, Fort Mason
San Francisco, CA 94123
Abstract: The Golden Gate National Recreation Area National Maritime Museum photographs and media, 1977-1988 (SAFR 22245, P91-069) consists
of 3.2 linear feet of materials created by Golden Gate National Recreation Area National Maritime Museum staff during the
course of their work on facilities and ships from 1977-1988. The collection is described at the file unit level with items
listed, and is open for use without restriction.
Physical Location: San Francisco Maritime NHP, Historic Documents Department
Language(s):
In English.
Access
This collection is open for use unless otherwise noted.
Publication and Use Rights
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.
Processing Note
The original accessions have been physically left together and are housed within the boxes in accession number order, with
later accessions at the end of the box. The material has been intellectually arranged in the finding aid in chronological
order while the physical locations will remain fixed. If new material is added to this collection it will be physically placed
at the end of the collection and intellectually arranged in chronological order in the finding aid for ease of access.
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.
Preferred Citation
[Item description], [Location within collection organization identified by Collection Number/Series Number/File Unit Number/Item
Number], P91-069 (SAFR 22245), Golden Gate National Recreation Area National Maritime Museum photographs and media, San Francisco
Maritime National Historical Park
Acquisition Information
SAFR-00397
SAFR-00401, SAFR-00724, SAFR-02195, SAFR-01768, SAFR-01297, SAFR-02032
The materials in the collection were transferred and accessioned into the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park
over several years and placed in this collection. The following is an explanation of the chain of custody and provenance for
each accession.
Accession SAFR- 00397
This material was transferred in 1988 by Steve Hastings (SAFR-00397) of Golden Gate National Recreation Area to the museum
collection. The materials were accessioned by San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park in 1991 along with a mix of
other material found in the park. The photographs have been cataloged in collection P91-069 (SAFR 22245). Some manuscript
material was cataloged as the National Maritime Museum records (HDC 651, SAFR 9399).
Accession SAFR-00401
On October 4, 1991 SAFR-00401 was accessioned. It contained photographs and motion picture film created by the San Francisco
Maritime State Historic Park and was cataloged as (P91-078, SAFR 22247). The accession also contained material created by
the staff while they were part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area National Maritime Museum, which has been cataloged
in collection P91-069 (SAFR 22245). Accession SAFR-00401 also contained some images of Fleet Week in October 1984 which has
been cataloged as P09-008 (SAFR 22236).
Accession SAFR-00724
On August 4, 1993, 0.5 cubic feet of photographic material and 86 color slides were accessioned as SAFR-00724. This accession
contained documentation of museum vessel restoration projects which was removed from the EUREKA wheelhouse office on June
10, 1988. The material appears to have been collected by former ships manager Steve Hastings.
Accession SAFR-02195
On November 18, 2011 photographs showing repair work on the bowsprit of the C.A. THAYER, circa 1983-1984 and photographs showing
repair work on the ALMA, circa 1983 were found in an oversized drawer with unprocessed items in the photograph vault. The
materials were previously found in the EUREKA wheelhouse in the 1980s when Glennie Wall moved in. These materials were formally
accessioned on November 29, 2011.
Accession SAFR-01768
On December 6, 2002 nine photographs documenting the exterior repainting of the Tubbs Building in 1988 were accessioned as
SAFR-01768. The prints are a field collection by SAFR staff, found in the accession file for SAFR-00001 (GOGA-00147). Accrued
to collection P91-069 (SAFR 22245) on January 31, 2012.
Accession SAFR-01297
In 1998, four films were accessioned as a part of a field collection of films used by park rangers for interpretation. The
one film reel containing interpretive information about the C.A. THAYER was accrued to collection P91-069 (SAFR 22245) on
March 30, 2012.
Accession SAFR-02032
In 2009, one photograph and xerox copy with identification was accessioned as a part of a field collection of materials found
in the collection and was accrued to collection P91-069 (SAFR 22245) in June 2015.
Historical or Biographical Note
The San Francisco Maritime State Historic Park was established in 1956 and existed under this name until 1977 when it became
the National Maritime Museum, part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. In 1988 the National Maritime Museum (sometimes
referred to as the Maritime Unit) became a separate national park called the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park,
the name it is still known by today.
The San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park (SFMNHP) provides services for millions of visitors annually and acts
as a custodian for historic vessels, small watercraft, museum artifacts, archives and a maritime library. The SFMNHP is responsible
for maintaining 35 acres of urban parkland which include the Aquatic Park Bathhouse (a National Historic Landmark which serves
as a museum exhibit facility), the Hyde Street Pier (where the historic vessels are moored), and the Haslett Warehouse. Five
of the historic vessels moored on Hyde Street Pier are designated National Historic Landmarks: the ALMA, BALCLUTHA, EUREKA,
HERCULES, and C.A. THAYER. The park also operates a library and archives in a Historic Landmark building at nearby Fort Mason
which houses a variety of documents, vessel plans, photographs, motion picture film, books, periodicals and oral histories.
Many of the park's programs and collections were formed by several predecessor organizations. In 1941 the San Francisco Museum
of Science and Industry opened through the efforts of Mrs. Alma de Bretteville Spreckels. It was comprised mainly of an impressive
collection of ship models and artifacts, which were exhibited at Aquatic Park and various other locations in the Bay Area
during World War II.
The San Francisco Maritime Museum Association (SFMMA) was formed in 1950 and provided funding for the purchase of the first
of the historic sailing vessels in 1954. BALCLUTHA was restored and opened to visitors at Hyde Street Pier in 1955. In 1956,
a bill was passed through the state legislature that called for the purchase of the schooners C.A. THAYER and WAPAMA, and
also created the San Francisco Maritime State Historic Park.
The resources needed for the state park were underestimated and both the state and SFMMA turned to the Golden Gate National
Recreation Area (GGNRA) for help. In 1977, the San Francisco Maritime State Historic Park became the National Maritime Museum,
part of the GGNRA. However, the Maritime Museum's visibility (and fund-raising opportunities) was swallowed up as part of
this large, disperse national park. To gain more direct federal support for the maintenance-intensive historic sailing vessels
and preserve visibility, the National Maritime Museum became a separate national park in 1988.
[Agency History written by SAFR staff (primarily Lisbit Bailey). Revised by Amy Croft, October 2011.]
GGNRA National Maritime Museum Chronology
1977 September 16 |
The San Francisco Maritime State Historic Park became the National Maritime Museum, part of the Golden Gate National Recreation
Area
|
1982 |
National Maritime Museum completes its first Scope of Collections Statement |
1983-1984? |
C.A. THAYER masts replaced |
1984 Apr |
WAPAMA becomes a National Historic Landmark |
1984 Aug |
ALMA's mast damaged after hitting Black Point Bridge in Novato, California |
1985 Feb |
BALCLUTHA becomes a National Historic Landmark |
1985 Feb |
EUREKA becomes a National Historic Landmark |
1986 Jan |
HERCULES becomes a National Historic Landmark |
1987 May |
Aquatic Park becomes a National Historic Landmark |
1987 |
Aquatic Park is designated a National Historic Landmark District |
1988 Jun |
ALMA becomes a National Historic Landmark |
1988 Jun 27 |
National Maritime Museum became a separate national park: San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park |
Sources:
Rothman, Hal K. The Park that Makes its Own Weather; An Administrative History of Golden Gate National Recreation Area, 2002.
http://www.nps.gov/goga/historyculture/publications.htm, accessed November 2011.
San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park - Historic Vessels (U.S. National Park Service). http://www.nps.gov/safr/historyculture/historic-vessels.htm
Historic Vessel Histories
ALMA:
The scow schooner ALMA was built in 1891 in Fred Siemer's shipyard at Hunters Point (in the southeastern section of San Francisco).
Fred Siemer came to San Francisco from Germany in 1865 and started his own shipyard at Hunters Point. He constructed two scow
schooners and named the first after his daughter Adelia. After Adelia married, Siemer built the second scow for his son-in-law,
James Peterson. That boat was constructed in Peterson's front yard in 1891 and was named for Peterson's daughter, Alma.
ALMA's construction was not unique, but it was unusual; her bottom planking was laid athwaratships (side-to-side) instead
of fore-and-aft. Called "log built" because the horizontally laid planks were quite thick, scows like ALMA traded a bit of
speed and ease-of-repair for economy and strength. ALMA hauled a wide variety of cargoes during her career. She carried hay
and lumber under sail, and after Peterson removed her masts in 1918, she freighted sacks of Alviso salt while being towed
as a barge. Frank Resech, who purchased the vessel in 1926, installed a gasoline engine in her, and from then until 1957 her
cargo was exclusively oyster shell - carried in a 22' by 36' wooden bin installed on deck.
A number of sailing scows ended up as oyster shell dredges. The shell was free for the taking and vast deposits lay in the
San Francisco Bay. Both Resech and his wife lived and worked aboard ALMA for a time; Mrs. Resech handled the steering while
her husband operated the dredging machinery. During those days, ALMA hauled 110-125 tons of shell per week to Petaluma, California,
where it was ground and used for chicken feed.
In 1943, Resech sold the vessel to Peter John Gambetta, who continued to operate her as a dredger until 1957. When Gambetta
retired ALMA she was still seaworthy, but no longer profitable. The State of California purchased ALMA as she lay on the Alviso
mudflats in 1959, and restoration work began in 1964. She was transferred to the National Park Service in 1978, and designated
a National Historic Landmark in 1988. ALMA is now part of the San Francisco Maritime Historical Park's fleet of historic vessels
at Hyde Street Pier. She sails every season and participates in the revived Master Mariners Regatta every May.
[Historical information taken from http://www.nps.gov/safr/historyculture/alma-history.htm, accessed October 27, 2011]
BALCLUTHA:
BALCLUTHA (built 1886; ship, 3m: museum ship) is one of the last surviving steel-hulled, full-rigged ships. She was involved
in the 19th century Pacific Coast grain trade, Pacific Coast lumber trade, 20th century Pacific Coast salmon packing trade,
and was a tourist attraction before becoming a museum ship of the San Francisco Maritime Museum in 1954.
She was built by Charles Connell & Co. in Scotstoun, Scotland for the British merchant ensign trade, mostly transporting coal
to the Pacific Coast of the United States and returning to Europe with grain and general cargo. Because of the months-long
ocean voyage, BALCLUTHA made only one round-trip per year while engaged in the Europe-to-San Francisco grain trade. During
the mid-1890s the ship called at other ports around the world as well.
In 1899, BALCLUTHA was transferred to Hawaiian registry, joining the Pacific Coast lumber trade. For three years the ship
sailed north to Puget Sound, Washington, and then across the Pacific Ocean to Australia. Much of lumber she carried was used
for mining timbers in the Broken Hill Mine at Port Pirie, Australia. She was the last vessel to fly the flag of the Hawaiian
Kingdom.
As the demand for wooden deep-sea cargo vessels decreased, BALCLUTHA was put on the market and the Alaska Packers Association
purchased the vessel in 1906 to ship livestock and supplies to the remote canneries in southwest Alaska. At this time, she
was renamed the STAR OF ALASKA. She sailed to the Chignik salmon cannery every year from 1906 to 1929, spending the summer
months in Alaska, returning to San Francisco in the fall, and wintering in the Alaska Packer's shipyard in Alameda. During
the winter the ship was laid up with the rest of the Packer's fleet of thirty-odd vessels, and shipwrights performed maintenance
and renovation on the vessels. In 1911, the STAR OF ALASKA's poop deck was extended to house Italian and Scandinavian fishermen.
Later, additional bunks were added in the "tween deck for Chinese cannery workers. As STAR OF ALASKA, she carried a crew of
twenty-six men; over 200 men made the trip north.
The ship again became obsolete and it was sold to Frank and Rose Kissinger in 1933. They purchased the vessel with the intent
of creating a money making attraction. At times, the Kissingers took her up and down the coast of California, exhibiting her
as a "pirate ship." She was moored near Catalina Island and San Pedro, and served as a prop in the movies "Mutiny on the Bounty
and Souls at Sea," before a 1940 trip to San Francisco for display at Pier 43 for the World's Fair. She returned to southern
California in 1946 and continued to be an attraction. The vessel slowly deteriorated during this time, barely escaping World
War II scrap metal drives.
By 1952, negotiations had begun with the San Francisco Maritime Museum to purchase the vessel from the Kissingers. Mr. Kissinger
passed away the same year and deliberations continued with Mrs. Kissinger. The Maritime Museum was eventually able to purchase
the vessel, and from 1954 to 1955 completed restoration to return her to her form when she sailed as the STAR OF INDIA. She
was returned to Pier 43 for display. The ship was transferred to the National Park Service in 1978, and BALCLUTHA was designated
a National Historic Landmark in 1985. In 1988, she was moved from Pier 43 to the Hyde Street Pier, where she is still moored
today.
For a more detailed history, consult the Historic American Buildings Survey,
Engineering Record, Landscapes Survey: Ship BALCLUTHA, 2905 Hyde Street Pier, San Francisco, San Francisco County, CA : http://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/hh/item/ca1493/.
This contains photographs, plans, and an extensive history of the vessel researched by Norman J. Brouwer for her inclusion
on the National Register of Historic Places, NRIS Number: 76000178.
Sources:
Balclutha History. (n. d.). San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park. Retrieved on October 4, 2012, from http://www.nps.gov/safr/historyculture/balclutha-history.htm
General Services Administration. (1960). Reference Report from the National Archives and Records Administration. Found in
Star of Alaska, San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park binder, vm 6.5 B3 s7 pam.
SHIP BALCLUTHA (Ship Star of Alaska) (Ship Pacific Queen). HAER No. CA-54. Historic American Engineering Record. Accessed
on August 24, 2012 from http://lcweb2.loc.gov/pnp/habshaer/ca/ca1400/ca1493/data/ca1493data.pdf
C.A. THAYER:
The C.A. THAYER is a three-masted schooner built in Fairhaven, California, in 1895. The original hull was made of dense, old-growth
Douglas fir carefully chosen for shipbuilding. She was named for Clarence A. Thayer, a partner in the San Francisco-based
E.K. Wood Lumber Company. This schooner is representative of hundreds that sailed the Pacific Coast in the early 1900s. C.A.
THAYER is 219 feet in length and has a cargo capacity of 575,000 board feet (1,360 cubic meters). She carried about half of
her load below deck, with the remaining lumber stacked ten feet high on deck. In port, her small crew of eight or nine men
were also responsible for loading and unloading the ship. Unloading 75,000 to 80,000 board feet (180 to 190 cubic meters)
was an average day's work.
The C.A. THAYER had several careers: it carried lumber to 1912, was a salt and salmon packet to 1924, and was in the cod fishery
to 1950, when it was the last commercially working sailing vessel on the west coast. The ship had a number of owners during
this time: E.K. Wood Lumber Co. (S.F.) (1895-1912); Captain Peter Nelson (S.F.) (1912-1925); Pacific Coast Codfishing (Seattle)
(1925-1952); Charles Macneil (Seattle) (1952-1957).
The State of California purchased the C.A. THAYER in 1957. After preliminary restoration in Seattle, Washington, a volunteer
crew sailed her down the coast to San Francisco. The San Francisco Maritime Museum performed more extensive repairs and refitting,
and opened C.A. THAYER to the public in 1963. The vessel was transferred to the National Park Service in 1978, and designated
a National Historic Landmark in 1984.
After 40 years as a museum ship, the C.A. THAYER has again been restored, a restoration which took three years starting in
2004, which resulted in her temporary removal from her berth at the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park. Approximately
80% of the ship's timbers were replaced with new timbers matching the original wood. The ship sailed back to the Hyde Street
Pier on April 12, 2007. She is currently missing her masts and bowsprit.
[History written by SAFR staff and information also taken from http://www.nps.gov/safr/historyculture/ca-thayer-history.htm,
accessed October 27, 2011]
EPPLETON HALL:
The EPPLETON HALL was built in 1914 by the Hepple and Company of South Shields, England, for the Lambton and Hetton Collieries,
Ltd. The vessel, named after the Lambton family's ancestral home, was designed to tow ocean-going colliers (coal-carrying
vessels) to and from the port of Newcastle on the River Tyne. Coal was a booming business, and days of transit time were saved
by towing the sailing vessels upriver to load. The vessel was also used to tow newly-built ships out to sea.
The EPPLETON HALL is a steam sidewheeler with side-lever engines, and is the only remaining intact example of a Tyne paddle
tug. The vessel was engaged on the Wear and Tyne rivers of northeast England from 1914-1967 and she is a direct descendent
of the first craft to go into commercial service as harbor tugs. In 1946, she was purchased by France Fenwick, Wear and Tyne
Ltd., which operated her in the Wear River until 1964 (she is being restored to this period today).
The EPPLETON HALL's steam engines are descended from a type first developed in England in 1828. The two large side lever engines,
often referred to as grasshopper engines, operate the paddle wheels independently, making the tug especially maneuverable
in tight spots. Another unusual feature of the EPPLETON HALL is its hand-forged boilers designed to use seawater. Every six
weeks the accumulated salt had to be chipped out of the boilers and rinsed away. The advantage was that large freshwater tanks
did not have to be carried aboard.
In 1952, the tug was slightly modified in order to obtain a Passenger Certificate, so that she could transport officials from
newly-launched steamers. Her last commercial owner was the Seaham Harbour Dock Board, which operated her from 1964 to 1967.
She was sold for scrap in 1967 to Clayton and Davie, Shipbreakers and, while sitting on a mud bank, fire (part of the scrapping
process) destroyed her wooden afterdeck and interior.
In December of 1968, Scott Newhall discovered the EPPLETON HALL in Newcastle after trying to acquire the last operating paddle
tug RELIANT, which was slated to be dismantled and pieces put into an exhibit at the Greenwich Maritime Museum. Newhall wanted
to purchase the RELIANT but was told it was already spoken for and he was shown the EPPLETON HALL as an alternative; however
he still wanted the RELIANT. In early 1969, Newhall assembled a group of maritime enthusiasts in Newcastle for the negotiation
of the purchase of the RELIANT and they arrived sometime near the beginning of May. Scott hoped to purchase the RELIANT from
the Greenwich Maritime Museum, defray the cost of their investment in the RELIANT and have them use parts from the EPPLETON
HALL for their exhibit instead. He wanted to do all this in order to prevent the sea worthy vessel RELIANT from being cut-up
into parts and then take the RELIANT back to San Francisco.
In early May 1969, it was determined that they could not purchase the RELIANT and Newhall decided to purchase the EPPLETON
HALL. Restoration efforts were turned to her and Bill Bartz remained in Newcastle to oversee the design and renovation of
the vessel. She was taken to R.B. Harrison & Sons, Ltd. Shipyard. Bartz worked alongside shipyard employees to restore her
and hired appropriate staff to make sure that she was logistically able to leave England for the United States. As she was
no longer a vessel used for commercial means, she was registered as a yacht. This allowed her to take on a volunteer crew
and have an easier time finding accommodations in ports. She remained registered as a private yacht until 1979.
In mid-September of 1969, the EPPLETON HALL departed England with a crew consisting of Scott Newhall, Karl Kortum and his
son Johnny, Bill Bartz and his children Heide and Billy, and engineers and a purser, bound for San Francisco via the Panama
Canal. Despite technical difficulties, inclement weather conditions, and illness of the crew, she steamed through the Golden
Gate on March 24, 1970.
The vessel was donated to the National Park Service in 1979. She is now berthed at Hyde Street Pier.
Sources:
History written by SAFR staff and information also taken from http://www.nps.gov/safr/historyculture/eppleton-hall-history.htm,
accessed October 31, 2011
Newhall, Scott. The Eppleton Hall. Berkeley, California: Howell-North Books. 1971.
EUREKA:
The EUREKA was originally named the UKIAH and was built in 1890, at Tiburon, California, for the San Francisco and North Pacific
Railway (SF&NPR). She was named UKIAH to commemorate SF&NPR 's recent rail extension into that California city. A freight-car
ferry, UKIAH was SF&NPR's "tracks across the Bay," ferrying trains from Sausalito to San Francisco.
The ferry originally carried commuters between San Francisco and Tiburon during the day and hauled railroad freight cars at
night. In 1907, UKIAH was re-routed to the Sausalito-San Francisco Ferry Building route by her new owners, Northwestern Pacific
Railroad.
During World War I, UKIAH carried munition-filled rail cars for the war effort. After WWI, UKIAH needed extensive repair,
and shipwrights at the Southern Pacific yard labored for two years - eventually replacing all of her structure above the waterline.
This kind of reconstruction was called "jacking up the whistle and sliding a new boat underneath." In 1923 she was re-christened
EUREKA and was launched from the Southern Pacific yard as a passenger and automobile ferry (her present form).
At one time, Southern Pacific Railroad operated forty-two ferryboats on the Bay (they transported 50,000,000 passengers per
year). Construction of the Bay and Golden Gate bridges (mid 1930s) signaled the end of the ferryboat era, however. In 1941,
EUREKA had the distinction of making the last Marin County run, and by the 1950s regular ferry service was limited to railroad
connections. Eureka kept working, but on February 20, 1957, the main crankpin of the walking beam engine broke while en route
to San Francisco from the Oakland mole, just after her 11:40pm departure. The walking beam was separated from the cylinder
and the EUREKA had to be towed back to Oakland. This was her last trip as a passenger ferry. Just one year later on July 30,
1958, the only remaining ferry boat SAN LEANDRO made the last transbay ferryboat run.
The EUREKA was acquired by the San Francisco Maritime State Historic Park in 1958 and became a National Historic Landmark
in 1985. EUREKA is the only surviving wooden-hulled ferryboat.
[History written by SAFR staff. Information also taken from http://www.nps.gov/safr/historyculture/eureka-history.htm and
from Levingston, Steven E., "Historic Ships of San Francisco", 1984.]
HERCULES:
The tugboat HERCULES was built by John H. Dialogue and Son, of Camden, New Jersey, in 1907. She had been ordered by the San
Francisco-based Shipowners' and Merchants' Tugboat Company, to join their Red Stack fleet (named for their red-painted smoke
stacks).
When completed, HERCULES towed her sister ship, the GOLIAH, through the Strait of Magellan to San Francisco. Both vessels
were oil-burners; GOLIAH carried fuel, water and supplies for her sister. HERCULES towed barges, sailing ships and log rafts
between Pacific ports. Because prevailing north-west winds generally made travel up the coast by sail both difficult and circuitous,
tugs often towed large sailing vessels to points north of San Francisco.
In 1916, HERCULES towed the C. A. THAYER to Port Townsend, Washington. The trip took six days. She also towed the FALLS OF
CLYDE, now a museum ship in Hawaii. On trips back down the coast, HERCULES often towed huge log rafts, laden with millions
of board feet of Northwest timber, to Southern California mills. At other times, HERCULES towed barges of bulk cargoes between
other West Coast Ports, and to Hawaii. During the construction of the Panama Canal, she towed a huge floating caisson (a steel
structure used for closing the entrance to locks) to the Canal Zone.
In her deep-sea days, HERCULES usually carried a crew of fifteen; enough manpower for her Engine Department to stand three
watches while underway. The deep, narrow hull made life uncomfortable at times, because it rode low in the water, and the
main deck was often awash. However, the food was good and, for an experienced hand, the work was steady. Tugboat captains
were generally well-paid and highly respected, for it took considerable experience to bring a tug and a heavy tow through
high seas in bad weather--and good judgment to navigate the shallow bars and narrow entrances of West Coast ports.
HERCULES was eventually acquired by the Western Pacific Railroad Company. Her career changed significantly; she no longer
served as an ocean-going tug, but shuttled railroad car barges back and forth across San Francisco Bay. She worked until 1962,
when changing transportation patterns (the decline of the railroads) and the introduction of diesel-powered tugs sealed her
fate.
HERCULES avoided the scrap yard, but languished until the California State Park Foundation acquired her for the San Francisco
Maritime State Historic Park, in 1975. The National Park Service took over the task of her restoration in 1977, and in 1986
she was designated a National Historic Landmark. HERCULES has been documented as part of the Historic American Engineering
Record's Maritime Record.
[History written by SAFR staff and information also taken from http://www.nps.gov/safr/historyculture/hercules-history.htm]
WAPAMA:
The WAPAMA is a wooden schooner that was built in 1915 by the St. Helens Ship Building Company of St. Helens, Oregon, which
was part of a major complex of lumber industries owned by Charles R. McCormick. She was unique in her construction, varying
from established shipbuilding practices of the time but she was representative of an older standard. In 1937 the WAPAMA was
sold to the Alaska Transportation Company and in 1938 her name was changed to the TONGASS and she carried mail, freight and
passengers until she was sold to a scrapyard in 1949.
In 1958 the San Francisco Maritime State Historical Park acquired the TONGASS and she was towed to San Francisco Bay where
restoration work was done. After the initial restoration was completed and her original name was restored, the WAPAMA was
brought to the Hyde Street Pier on the San Francisco waterfront to join the fleet of other historic vessels. There she became
a favorite attraction in the popular park. While moored to the Hyde Street Pier, the WAPAMA underwent additional restoration
in a piecemeal fashion by the park's trained shipwrights.
In 1979 the WAPAMA was in need of additional restoration work but was placed on a preservation dry docked barge due to lack
of funds. The WAPAMA was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1984 as she is the last surviving example of some 225 steam
schooners that served the lumber trade and other coastal services along the Pacific Coast of the United States in the early
20th century.
As of December 2011 she is currently stored in Richmond, California and is slated to be dismantled in the near future.
[History written by SAFR staff and information also taken from Delgado, James P. 1982 December 17. National Register of Historic
Places Inventory-Nomination: Steam Schooner Wapama (Tongass), http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NHLS/Text/73000228.pdf, accessed
October 27, 2011]
Collection Scope and Content
The Golden Gate National Recreation Area National Maritime Museum photographs and media, 1977-1988 (SAFR 22245, P91-069) consists
of 3.2 linear feet of materials created by Golden Gate National Recreation Area National Maritime Museum staff during the
course of their work on facilities and ships from 1977-1988. The collection is described at the file unit level with items
listed, and is open for use without restriction.
Contains photographs and media of the vessels ALMA, BALCLUTHA, C.A. THAYER, EPPLETON HALL, EUREKEA, HERCULES, WAPAMA. The
photographs show the condition of the vessels, progress shots of repair work, and staff members working and sailing on the
vessels. A significant amount of photographs in this collection show the EUREKA. There is also a photograph of a staff holiday
party aboard the BALCLUTHA circa 1987. Includes photographs of the facilities Hyde Street Pier, the Donkey Boiler, and the
Tubbs Cordage Company Office Building.
The photographer(s) are not clearly identified for each photograph but some photographs were taken by Bay Ship & Yacht Co.
(the contractor for the EUREKA repairs in 1985) and other photographs were likely taken by Richard Frear, Steve Hastings,
and Don (no last name given).
Collection Arrangement
The collection is organized into the following series and arranged chronologically within each series, subseries and file
unit.
Series List
- Series 1: Ships, 1977-1988
- Subseries 1.1: Alma (built 1891; scow schooner), 1977-1988
- Subseries 1.2: Balclutha (built 1886; ship, 3m), circa 1987
- Subseries 1.3: C.A. Thayer (built 1895; schooner, 3m), 1982-1984
- Subseries 1.4: Eppleton Hall (built 1914; tugboat), 1983
- Subseries 1.5: Eureka (built 1890; ferry), 1978-1988
- Subseries 1.6: Hercules (built 1907; tugboat), 1982-1988
- Subseries 1.7: Wapama (built 1915; steam schooner), circa 1980-1988
- Subseries 1.8: Historic Fleet, circa 1980-1988
- Series 2: Facilities, circa 1977-1988
- Subseries 2.1: Hyde Street Pier, circa 1977-1988
- Subseries 2.2: Donkey Boiler, circa 1977-1988
- Subseries 2.3: Tubbs Cordage Company Office Building, circa 1977-1988
- Series 3: Museum staff, circa 1983
Related Materials
San Francisco Maritime State Historic Park photographs and motion picture, 1956-1977, (P91-078, SAFR 22247); Harry Dring photographs,
1870-1983 (bulk 1954-1982) includes restoration and preservation of the vessels and daily activities at Hyde Street Pier,
(P91-015, SAFR 9318); Golden Gate National Recreation Area Maritime Unit photographs, 1980-1987, (P92-106, SAFR 22307); Golden
Gate National Recreation Area National Maritime Museum photographs and media, 1977-1988, (P91-069, SAFR 22245); and San Francisco
Maritime National Historical Park Facilities and Ships Division photographs and media, circa 1977-1991 (P91-071, SAFR 22585)
- This material is located at San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Ships--Maintenance and repair
Historic preservation
ma (built 1891; scow schooner)
Balclutha (built 1886; ship, 3m)
C.A. Thayer (built 1895; schooner, 3m)
Eppleton Hall (built 1914; tugboat)
Eureka (built 1890; ferry)
Hercules (built 1907; tugboat)
Wapama (built 1915; steam schooner)
de Street Pier
Tubbs Cordage Company Office Building (San Francisco, Calif.)
Victorian Park (San Francisco, California)
Color prints (photographs)
Color negatives
Black-and-white negatives
Black-and-white prints
Color slides