The collection primarily documents the restoration and maintenance of the historic vessels at San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park from 1954 to 1982. The bulk of the collection holdings consist of black-and-white photographs and negatives created or collected by the ships' manager Harry Dring from 1957 to 1976. Other items include photo albums and motion picture film. Along with restoration and preservation of the vessels, the collection documents daily activities at Hyde Street Pier.

As Ships' Manager and Supervisor of Restoration at Hyde Street Pier under the State of California, Harrison (Harry) Joseph Dring oversaw the ongoing restoration of the museum's historic ship fleet from 1954 to 1982. Dring was responsible for the fleet of historic ships at the National Maritime Museum in San Francisco where he managed the fleets' restoration and maintenance. He documented this work by photographing or hiring photographers as well as collecting images of the fleet and other non-National Park Service (NPS) historic vessels.

6014 items (14 linear ft.).

The San Francisco Maritime NHP possesses physical property rights through ownership of the materials. However, copyright may reside with the individual or corporate body responsible for the creation of the materials, or with their heirs. It is the user's responsibility to respect the provisions of the copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code). Permission to reproduce or publish from this collection must be secured by the user from the copyright holders.

This collection is open to the public.