Maritime Museum of San Diego
Encyclopedia
The Maritime Museum of San Diego, established in 1948, preserves one of the largest collections of historic sea vessels in the United States. Located in the San Diego Bay
San Diego Bay
San Diego Bay is a natural harbor and deepwater port adjacent to San Diego, California. It is 12 mi/19 km long, 1 mi/1.6 km–3 mi/4.8 km wide...
, the centerpiece of the museum's collection is the Star of India
Star of India (ship)
Star of India was built in 1863 as Euterpe, a full-rigged iron windjammer ship in Ramsey, Isle of Man. After a full career sailing from Great Britain to India and New Zealand, she became a salmon hauler on the Alaska to California route...
, an 1863 iron bark. The museum maintains the MacMullen Library and Research Archives aboard the 1898 ferryboat Berkeley
Berkeley (ferryboat)
The Berkeley was one of several ferryboats of the Southern Pacific Railroad that operated on San Francisco Bay between the Oakland Pier and the San Francisco Ferry Building for sixty years...
. The museum also publishes the quarterly peer-reviewed journal Mains'l Haul: A Journal of Pacific Maritime History.
The Maritime Museum is located on the west side of North Harbor Drive, between the ends of Ash Street and Grape Street, south of San Diego International Airport
San Diego International Airport
San Diego International Airport , sometimes referred to as Lindbergh Field, is a public airport located northwest of the central business district of San Diego, California and from the Mexico – United States border at Tijuana, Mexico...
.
Current collection
- Star of IndiaStar of India (ship)Star of India was built in 1863 as Euterpe, a full-rigged iron windjammer ship in Ramsey, Isle of Man. After a full career sailing from Great Britain to India and New Zealand, she became a salmon hauler on the Alaska to California route...
, 1863 merchant bark - BerkeleyBerkeley (ferryboat)The Berkeley was one of several ferryboats of the Southern Pacific Railroad that operated on San Francisco Bay between the Oakland Pier and the San Francisco Ferry Building for sixty years...
, 1898 ferryboat from the San Francisco BaySan Francisco BaySan 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...
area - CalifornianCalifornian (schooner)Californian was built in 1984 as a replica of the revenue service cutter C.W. Lawrence, which operated off the Californian coast in the 1850s. On July 23, 2003, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed Bill No...
, 1984 replica of 1847 cutter C.W. Lawrence and official tall ship of the state of CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia 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... - MedeaMedea (yacht)The Medea is a 1904 steam yacht preserved in the Maritime Museum of San Diego. Named after Medea, the wife of Jason, she was built on the Clyde at Alexander Stephen and Sons shipyard at Linthouse by John Stephen for William Macalister Hall of Torrisdale Castle, Scotland.During World War I, the...
, 1904 steam yachtSteam yachtA steam yacht is a class of luxury or commercial yacht with primary or secondary steam propulsion in addition to the sails usually carried by yachts.-Origin of the name:...
that served in both World Wars - PilotPilot (boat)The Pilot is a pilot boat launched in 1914 in San Diego. She served as the official pilot boat San Diego Bay for 82 years, with no more than three consecutive days of downtime. During World War II, she was used by the Coast Guard as a pilot boat and patrol boat, and decorated with six six-month...
, 1914 harbor pilot boat - HMS Surprise, 1970 replica of a Royal NavyRoyal NavyThe Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
frigate used in the movie Master and Commander: The Far Side of the WorldMaster and Commander: The Far Side of the WorldMaster and Commander: The Far Side of the World is a 2003 film directed by Peter Weir, starring Russell Crowe as Jack Aubrey, with Paul Bettany as Stephen Maturin and released by 20th Century Fox, Miramax Films and Universal Studios... - B-39Soviet submarine B-39B-39 was a Project 641 diesel-electric attack submarine of the Soviet Navy. The "B" in her designation stands for большая — Foxtrots are among the largest non-nuclear submarines ever built...
, Soviet Foxtrot class submarineFoxtrot class submarineThe Foxtrot class was the NATO reporting name of a class of diesel-electric patrol submarines that were built in the Soviet Union. The Soviet designation of this class was Project 641.... - USS DolphinUSS Dolphin (AGSS-555)USS Dolphin was the United States Navy's only operational diesel-electric, deep-diving, research and development submarine. Her keel was laid down on 9 November 1962 at the Portsmouth Navy Yard, Kittery, Maine. She was launched on 8 June 1968 sponsored by Mrs. Daniel K...
, diesel-electric submarine launched in 1968 and decommissioned in 2007
Future vessels
- San SalvadorSan Salvador flagshipSan Salvador was Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo's flagship. It was 100-foot full-rigged galleon with 10-foot draft and capacity of 200 tons. It carried officers, crew, slaves and a priest.-Explorations:...
, replica of Juan Cabrillo's galleon which discovered San Diego in 1542.
- The Museum has just acquired and is currently repairing a Patrol Boat River (PBR or swift boat) from the Malta government
San Salvador replica construction. Started Spring 2011 in San Diego, California
The Maritime Museum of San DiegoMaritime Museum of San Diego
The Maritime Museum of San Diego, established in 1948, preserves one of the largest collections of historic sea vessels in the United States. Located in the San Diego Bay, the centerpiece of the museum's collection is the Star of India, an 1863 iron bark. The museum maintains the MacMullen Library...
is building a full-sized, fully functional, and historically accurate replica of Juan Rodriquez Cabrillo’s flagship, San Salvador
San Salvador flagship
San Salvador was Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo's flagship. It was 100-foot full-rigged galleon with 10-foot draft and capacity of 200 tons. It carried officers, crew, slaves and a priest.-Explorations:...
. San Salvador
San Salvador flagship
San Salvador was Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo's flagship. It was 100-foot full-rigged galleon with 10-foot draft and capacity of 200 tons. It carried officers, crew, slaves and a priest.-Explorations:...
will be constructed in full public view (village opening June 24th 2011) at Spanish Landing in San Diego California, giving people the opportunity to watch from a close perspective as an example of the first modern industrial activity in the Americas comes to life in full public view. After construction, San Salvador
San Salvador flagship
San Salvador was Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo's flagship. It was 100-foot full-rigged galleon with 10-foot draft and capacity of 200 tons. It carried officers, crew, slaves and a priest.-Explorations:...
will remain on exhibit as part of the Museum's fleet of historic and replica ships and will travel along the California coast as an ambassador for San Diego.
Gallery
Not affiliated with the Maritime Museum, but located a short distance away, is the independently operated USS Midway Aircraft Carrier MuseumUSS Midway (CV-41)
USS Midway was an aircraft carrier of the United States Navy, the lead ship of her class, and the first to be commissioned after the end of World War II...
. Although at first it was feared the Midway would compete with the Maritime Museum for visitors, in fact visitation of the Maritime Museum has increased since the Midway museum opened.
External links
- San Salvador build site at the Maritime Museum of San Diego
- Port of San Diego Celebrates Milestone in Construction of Historic Ship Replica
- Collections of the Jerry MacMullen Library at the San Diego Maritime Museum, 1992 article from The Journal of San Diego History, by Craig Arnold.