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Alma (1891)
Encyclopedia
The Alma is an 1891 built scow
schooner
, which is now preserved as a National Historic Landmark
at the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park
in San Francisco, California
.
The Alma is a flat-bottomed scow schooner built in 1891 by Fred Siemer at his shipyard at Hunters Point
in San Francisco. Like the many other local scow schooners of that time, she was designed to haul goods on and around San Francisco Bay
. Able to navigate the shallow creeks and sloughs of the Sacramento and San Joaquin River Delta
, the scows’ strong, sturdy hulls could rest safely and securely on the bottom and provided a flat, stable platform for loading and unloading. While principally designed as sailing vessels, scow schooners could also be hauled from the bank or poled in the shallows of the delta.
Until 1918, the Alma hauled a variety of cargoes under sail, including hay and lumber. Thereafter she was demasted and used as salt carrying barge. In 1926 a gasoline engine was installed, and the Alma became an oyster dredger, remaining in this trade until 1957.
While built and operated on San Francisco Bay, Alma is in many ways indistinguishable from scows which were launched and sailed on Chesapeake Bay, the Gulf Coast, the Great Lakes, inland rivers, and other coastal waters of the United States. No scow schooners save Alma are known to survive afloat in the United States.
In 1959, the Alma was purchased by the State of California
and restoration commenced in 1964. In 1988, she was designated a National Historic Landmark
. She is now one of the exhibits of the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park
and is to be found moored at the park's Hyde Street Pier.
Scow
A scow, in the original sense, is a flat-bottomed boat with a blunt bow, often used to haul bulk freight; cf. barge. The etymology of the word is from the Dutch schouwe, meaning such a boat.-Sailing scows:...
schooner
Schooner
A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....
, which is now preserved as a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
at the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park
San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park
The San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park is located in San Francisco, California, USA. The park includes a fleet of historic vessels, a visitor center, a maritime museum, and a library/research facility...
in San Francisco, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
History of the Alma
Hunters Point, San Francisco, California
Bayview-Hunters Point or The Bayview, is a neighborhood in the southeastern corner of San Francisco, California, United States. The decommissioned Hunters Point Naval Shipyard is located within its boundaries and Candlestick Park is on the southern edge....
in San Francisco. Like the many other local scow schooners of that time, she was designed to haul goods on and around San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay is a shallow, productive estuary through which water draining from approximately forty percent of California, flowing in the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers from the Sierra Nevada mountains, enters the Pacific Ocean...
. Able to navigate the shallow creeks and sloughs of the Sacramento and San Joaquin River Delta
Sacramento River Delta
The Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, or California Delta, is an expansive inland river delta and estuary in northern California in the United States. The Delta is formed at the western edge of the Central Valley by the confluence of the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers and lies just east of...
, the scows’ strong, sturdy hulls could rest safely and securely on the bottom and provided a flat, stable platform for loading and unloading. While principally designed as sailing vessels, scow schooners could also be hauled from the bank or poled in the shallows of the delta.
Until 1918, the Alma hauled a variety of cargoes under sail, including hay and lumber. Thereafter she was demasted and used as salt carrying barge. In 1926 a gasoline engine was installed, and the Alma became an oyster dredger, remaining in this trade until 1957.
While built and operated on San Francisco Bay, Alma is in many ways indistinguishable from scows which were launched and sailed on Chesapeake Bay, the Gulf Coast, the Great Lakes, inland rivers, and other coastal waters of the United States. No scow schooners save Alma are known to survive afloat in the United States.
In 1959, the Alma was purchased by the State of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and restoration commenced in 1964. In 1988, she was designated a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
. She is now one of the exhibits of the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park
San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park
The San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park is located in San Francisco, California, USA. The park includes a fleet of historic vessels, a visitor center, a maritime museum, and a library/research facility...
and is to be found moored at the park's Hyde Street Pier.
General characteristics
- Gross tonnage: 41 tons (41.6 tonnes)
- Overall length: 80 ft (24.4 m)
- Registered length: 59 ft (18 m)
- Beam: 22.6 ft (6.9 m)
- Depth: 4 ft (1.2 m)
- Height of foremast: 67 ft (20.4 m)
Sources
- Webpage http://www.nps.gov/safr/local/alma.html retrieved 23:40 23 January 2005 GMT