Collection Guide
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A guide to the Forester (built 1900; schooner, 4m) salvage photograph album, 1914-1962
P88-102 (SAFR 23851)
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Title: Forester (built 1900; schooner, 4m) salvage photograph album
Date: 1914-1962
Date (bulk): 1961
Identifier/Call Number: P88-102 (SAFR 23851)
Creator:
San Francisco Maritime Museum
Physical Description:
1 item.
Repository:
San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, Historic Documents Department
Building E, Fort Mason
San Francisco, CA 94123
Abstract: The Forester (built 1900; schooner, 4m) salvage photograph album, 1914-1962, bulk 1961, (SAFR 23851, P88-102) is a single
volume comprised mainly of photographs of men from the San Francisco Maritime Museum salvaging fittings on board FORESTER
in Martinez, California, in 1961. The collection has been processed to the Item 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.
Each photographic image has been assigned an Item number. The 14.5 x 12.75 x 1.5 inch ring-bound photograph album has green
covers which have completely detached from the binding. There are 15 plastic sleeves with a paper insert inside each sleeve.
The photographs are not attached to the 30 pages; they are inserted loose in between the plastic covering and paper page.
Some photographs have a typed paper caption adhered to them. Page numbers were added to the lower page corners closest to
the fore edge by the processing archivist in June 2014. Note that page 13 does not contain any Items.
Stickers on album's spine read "FORESTER: Museum Salvage of Relics" and "ff VK 1493 F6." These stickers are from when the
album was part of the Hyde Street Pier branch library.
Description Notes:
Dates refer to when the original photograph was taken.
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], P88-102 (SAFR 23851), Forester (built 1900; schooner, 4m) salvage photograph album, San Francisco Maritime National
Historical Park
SAFR-00001
GOGA-00144
The FORESTER photograph album was previously cataloged as part of the Hyde Street Pier branch library. The album was transferred
for accessioning into the museum's collection as part of GOGA-00144 which consisted of items found in the wheelhouse of the
ferry EUREKA. These items were transferred from the State of California to the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA)
in 1977. SAFR-00001 is a blanket accession that was transferred from the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA) to the
San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park in September 1988.
Historical or Biographical Note
FORESTER (built 1900; schooner, 4m) was built by Hay & Wright shipyard for the lumber and copra trade. FORESTER ended her
days laid up on the mudflats of Martinez, California, as the last surviving intact topmast schooner on the Pacific Coast until
she was destroyed by fire in 1975.
FORESTER was launched on November 10, 1900, at Hay & Wright shipyard in Alameda, California, for Sanders & Kirchmann of San
Francisco, California. She was the sister ship to COMMERCE (built 1900; schooner, 4m). FORESTER's skipper was Captain Otto
Daeweritz, a native of Czechoslovakia, who owned one-third of 64 shares in the schooner. Daeweritz served as FORESTER's captain
throughout her entire sailing career. FORESTER carried lumber from the Pacific Northwest to foreign ports, including Asia,
Australia, and the South Sea Islands, often returning with loads of copra. In 1932, Daeweritz bought out his partners and
remained the sole owner until his death aboard the vessel in 1947.
As business in the lumber and copra trade declined due to competition with steamships, FORESTER was hired to serve as a tidal
break around the base of the Carquinez Bridge main tower from 1927 to 1931. Next, Daeweritz anchored FORESTER off Government
Island in the Oakland Estuary, but he was forced to move. In 1932, Daeweritz had the vessel towed to her final resting spot
on the mudflats of the Martinez shoreline west of Grangers' Wharf.
After Daeweritz's death, Charles Fitzgerald purchased the FORESTER and began to live on board as Daeweritz had done. In 1961,
Fitzgerald allowed the San Francisco Maritime Museum to salvage fittings from FORESTER over a period of six weeks. The crew
removed the three remaining masts (the mainmast was already missing) and collected various pieces of the masts, rigging, and
deck gear for the museum's collection. As the last intact topmast schooner on the Pacific Coast and a vessel built in the
San Francisco Bay Area, FORESTER contained an important collection of fittings which exhibited local wooden sailing ship methods
and styles.
FORESTER was destroyed by fire on June 18, 1975. Remnants of the vessel are still visible on the Martinez shore.
- O'Brien, Robert. "A Rainy Sunday Afternoon." San Francisco Chronicle (San Francisco, CA), Nov. 5, 1947.
- Rego, Nilda. "Captain dedicated his life to caring for the Forester." Contra Coast Times, [2006? Full date was not cited on the newspaper clipping located in the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park's HDC 1600 (SAFR 22224), Series 3.11, File Unit 021].
- "Relic Salvage...Schooner Forester." Sea Letter, no. 3 (1962): 1-5.
The Forester (built 1900; schooner, 4m) salvage photograph album, 1914-1962, bulk 1961, (SAFR 23851, P88-102) is a single
volume comprised mainly of photographs of men from the San Francisco Maritime Museum salvaging fittings on board FORESTER
in Martinez, California, in 1961. The collection has been processed to the Item level and is open for use.
Contains photographs of the San Francisco Maritime Museum's six week effort to salvage pieces of FORESTER (built 1900; schooner,
4m) for the museum's collection as well as contains copies of supporting documents related to the vessel's history, 1914-1962,
bulk 1961. There is one photograph album containing 38 black-and-white photographic prints and 7 documents. Includes photographs
of William "Bill" Bartz, Al Hatt, Ib Riis, Henry Rusk, two men identified only as Morrissey and Shubin, as well as additional
unidentified men on board FORESTER in Martinez, California, in 1961. The men are shown felling the foremast, mizzenmast, and
spanker mast (the mainmast was already missing) and removing various fittings from the vessel. There are also photographs
of the salvaged parts loaded on a flatbed trailer alongside BALCLUTHA (built 1886; ship, 3m) at Pier 43 in San Francisco,
California. Charles Fitzgerald, the owner at the time of the salvage, is also present in some photographs. There is one photograph
of the
previous owner, Captain Otto Daeweritz, in 1941. The documents include sketches of the bowsprit outer end and catheads; photocopies
of correspondence between Captain Daeweritz and the Hall Brothers Shipbuilding Company in 1914-1915; a newspaper clipping
detailing a visit to Captain Daeweritz on board FORESTER in 1947; and photocopies of pages from the San Francisco Maritime
Museum's publication "Sea Letter" (1962, no. 3).
It is unknown who assembled the album, though it was likely someone closely associated with the San Francisco Maritime Museum,
possibly founder Karl Kortum. He is identified as the photographer of one of the images, but he may have taken additional
photographs in the album.
Items are arranged in the order found in the album at time of processing.
Researchers should note that there are many objects salvaged from FORESTER in the San Francisco Maritime National Historical
Park's museum collection. They can search the Park's web catalog for more information.
- This material is located at San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Schooners
Salvage
Forester (built 1900; schooner, 4m)
Martinez (Calif.)
Carquinez Strait (Calif.)
San Francisco Bay Area (Calif.)
San Francisco (Calif.)
Photograph albums
Black-and-white prints (photographs)
Gelatin silver prints
Clippings (information artifacts)
Photocopies