Phoenix (fireboat)
Encyclopedia
Phoenix is a fireboat
owned by California
and operated by the city of San Francisco in the San Francisco Bay
since 1955. Phoenix is known for helping to save Marina District buildings from further destruction by fire following the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. Her worthy assistance resulted in a second fireboat obtained for the city. Both Guardian
and Phoenix are based at Firehouse No. 35 at Pier 22½ of the Port of San Francisco
.
. In 1909, two new fireboats were placed in service—David Scannell and Dennis T. Sullivan—steam-powered boats each rated for 9000 gal per minute. A firehouse was built for them at the edge of the Panama–Pacific International Exposition
in 1915. This firehouse was moved by barge to Pier 22½ near the intersection of Harrison Street and Embarcadero following the Exposition, when the old fair buildings were being torn down and the Marina District was being built in its place. The two fireboats served the city for 45 years and were scrapped in 1954.
To fill the anticipated lack of a fireboat, Phoenix was built in 1954 in Alameda
, paid for by the State of California. Her name came from a contest publicized by the Port Authority; the winning suggestion was submitted by a member of the Phoenix Society, a group of San Francisco citizens interested in civil fire protection. Phoenix
, the mythical firebird which rose anew from ashes, seemed appropriate because the city of San Francisco had risen seven times from great fires.
Phoenix is 89 feet (27.1 m) long with a 19.5 feet (5.9 m) beam
and a 7 feet (2.1 m) draft
. Phoenix can pump up to 6400 gal of water per minute, and can deliver it at the rate 9000 gal per minute at a pressure of 150 pound per square inches (1,034,213.6 Pa), or at the rate of 3200 gal per minute at twice the pressure. She can make 15 knots (8.2 m/s). When put into service in 1955, Phoenix was the only fireboat based in San Francisco. Like her predecessors, she docked at Pier 22½; one of only two remaining 1915 Exposition buildings, the other being the Palace of Fine Arts
.
. One of the hardest-hit locations was the Marina District of San Francisco; a densely populated neighborhood built up primarily in the 1920s on rubble, sand and debris dumped at the edge of the bay following the 1906 earthquake. A number of buildings collapsed, and firefighters were called to rescue trapped residents. Subsequent to a sharp aftershock, a fire broke out in a three-story building at Divisadero and Jefferson, threatening nearby buildings. Fire engines connected their hoses to the city's seawater-based Auxiliary Water Supply System (AWSS) and began to quench the fire, but an explosion caused the structure to collapse onto the fire hydrant. Fire crews were forced back, and with the assistance of off-duty police and civilian volunteers they ran hoses four blocks away to alternate sources. Further explosions caused other structures to collapse onto the newly laid hoses. At about the same time, other fire companies in the Marina were reporting water pressure problems with both the AWSS and the regular municipal water system. The AWSS was suffering from broken underground lines and from a 20% loss in stored water volume—both from earthquake damage—and from broken high pressure hydrants caused by building collapses. At 6:16 pm Phoenix was called to assist.
At 6:49 pm fire crews waiting to connect to Phoenix reported she was having difficulty getting close enough because of low tide conditions. Despite the problems requiring pilot and commander Arvid Havneras to perform an extraordinarily hazardous docking procedure, at 7:00 pm Phoenix was ready to pump at the Marina lagoon, two blocks away from the first fire. By this time the whole neighborhood was threatened with destruction by fire. Fire crews were manning hoses laid in anticipation; firefighters at the burning buildings were instructed to hold their ground, that they would soon have more water.
Phoenix connected hoses to an engine company and to two ladder trucks and commenced pumping seawater from the bay. Fire crews renewed their efforts, making a frontal attack on burning structures. Soon, one of the Fire Department's Hose Tenders arrived in the lagoon carrying 5000 feet (1,524 m) of 5 inches (12.7 cm) hose, followed shortly by another hose tender—they connected to Phoenix to relay water to more distant engine companies. In a parallel effort, the AWSS lines were inspected by city workers, temporary repairs made, and two high-pressure pump stations were brought back into operation at about 8 pm, supplying 10,000 U.S. gallons per minute. Phoenix worked until all the Marina fires were under control, pumping seawater continuously for 15 hours at the rate of 6,400 gallons per minute, a total of 5.5 million gallons (20.8 ML).
Phoenix is credited with saving the area from further destruction. Former mayor Dianne Feinstein
wrote after the earthquake that the boat "unquestionably saved the Marina from a greater catastrophe". Feinstein, whose term as San Francisco mayor
ended 21 months before the earthquake, saved the city's only fireboat from suggested budget cuts as one of her last mayoral acts. The fireboat's role in the earthquake is the subject of a children's book, Frankie & The Phoenix. Senator Feinstein read the book to students at the opening of a new San Francisco elementary school dedicated in her name in August 2006.
Subsequent to the 1989 earthquake, $50,000 from grateful Marina property owners, and $300,000 from an anonymous donor were used to provide Phoenix with a colleague. Guardian, an older fireboat built in 1951, was purchased from the City of Vancouver, British Columbia, and refurbished. She was piloted down the Pacific Coast to dock alongside Phoenix at Pier 22½. In 1999, the shared fireboat house was declared San Francisco's 225th Historic Landmark.
A planned monument to the 1989 earthquake, the Marina Earthquake Memorial, focuses on the role of Phoenix in the Marina firefighting effort and will incorporate the original 16-foot-high (5 m) tower monitor from Phoenix as a centerpiece of the memorial design.
Phoenix has taken a lead role in many spectacles on the San Francisco Bay. The fireboat regularly leads parades on the bay, escorts famous ships entering the bay, and participates in tall ship events and Fleet Week
in San Francisco. In July 2005, Phoenix led the "Parade of Sail" from the Golden Gate Bridge
to the Bay Bridge. Famous tall ships in the parade included the 270 feet (82.3 m) barque ARM Cuauhtémoc from Mexico and the 356 feet (108.5 m) Pallada from Russia. Other ships included the Liberty ship SS Jeremiah O'Brien
and the presidential yacht USS Potomac
—both based in San Francisco Bay. In 2008, Phoenix led a similar parade including Californian (California's official tall ship, based in San Diego
) and the U.S. Coast Guard
barque the Eagle
. The Jeremiah O'Brien took part as did the U.S. Navy submarine Pampanito
.
who steers the boat, one fire company officer, and three to five firemen to handle hoses and nozzles. Firehouse 35 on Pier 22½ has seven men on duty at all times: four to serve Engine #35, and three dedicated to the two fireboats. All seven are able to man the fireboats in an emergency. As many as ten men can work Phoenix, but in October 1989 after Engine #35 was called to duty, only three were available: Pilot Arvid Havneras, Engineer Nate Hardy, and Lieutenant Bob Banchero.
Phoenix was renovated in 2004 at Bayside Boatworks in Sausalito, California
.
Fireboat
A fireboat is a specialized watercraft and with pumps and nozzles designed for fighting shoreline and shipboard fires. The first fireboats, dating to the late 18th century, were tugboats, retrofitted with firefighting equipment....
owned by 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 operated by the city of San Francisco in the 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...
since 1955. Phoenix is known for helping to save Marina District buildings from further destruction by fire following the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. Her worthy assistance resulted in a second fireboat obtained for the city. Both Guardian
Guardian (fireboat)
Guardian is a fireboat owned by San Francisco Fire Department and operated in the San Francisco Bay since 1990 in reserve status. Guardian was a gift to the people of San Francisco by anonymous donors following the notable role of the fireboat Phoenix in helping to save the Marina District...
and Phoenix are based at Firehouse No. 35 at Pier 22½ of the Port of San Francisco
Port of San Francisco
The Port of San Francisco lies on the western edge of the San Francisco Bay near the Golden Gate. It has been called one of the three great natural harbors in the world, but it took two long centuries for navigators from Spain and England to find the anchorage originally called Yerba Buena...
.
History
The city of San Francisco operated two fireboats in the 1900s: Governor Irwin and Governor Markham. Both were capable of pumping about 1000 gal per minute. These two, assisted by tugboats and military fireboats, tried but failed to stop the horrific fires which swept the city after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake1906 San Francisco earthquake
The San Francisco earthquake of 1906 was a major earthquake that struck San Francisco, California, and the coast of Northern California at 5:12 a.m. on Wednesday, April 18, 1906. The most widely accepted estimate for the magnitude of the earthquake is a moment magnitude of 7.9; however, other...
. In 1909, two new fireboats were placed in service—David Scannell and Dennis T. Sullivan—steam-powered boats each rated for 9000 gal per minute. A firehouse was built for them at the edge of the Panama–Pacific International Exposition
Panama–Pacific International Exposition
The Panama-Pacific International Exposition was a world's fair held in San Francisco, California between February 20 and December 4 in 1915. Its ostensible purpose was to celebrate the completion of the Panama Canal, but it was widely seen in the city as an opportunity to showcase its recovery...
in 1915. This firehouse was moved by barge to Pier 22½ near the intersection of Harrison Street and Embarcadero following the Exposition, when the old fair buildings were being torn down and the Marina District was being built in its place. The two fireboats served the city for 45 years and were scrapped in 1954.
To fill the anticipated lack of a fireboat, Phoenix was built in 1954 in Alameda
Alameda, California
Alameda is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. It is located on Alameda Island and Bay Farm Island, and is adjacent to Oakland in the San Francisco Bay. The Bay Farm Island portion of the city is adjacent to the Oakland International Airport. At the 2010 census, the city had a...
, paid for by the State of California. Her name came from a contest publicized by the Port Authority; the winning suggestion was submitted by a member of the Phoenix Society, a group of San Francisco citizens interested in civil fire protection. Phoenix
Phoenix (mythology)
The phoenix or phenix is a mythical sacred firebird that can be found in the mythologies of the Arabian, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Chinese, Indian and Phoenicians....
, the mythical firebird which rose anew from ashes, seemed appropriate because the city of San Francisco had risen seven times from great fires.
Phoenix is 89 feet (27.1 m) long with a 19.5 feet (5.9 m) beam
Beam (nautical)
The beam of a ship is its width at the widest point. Generally speaking, the wider the beam of a ship , the more initial stability it has, at expense of reserve stability in the event of a capsize, where more energy is required to right the vessel from its inverted position...
and a 7 feet (2.1 m) draft
Draft (hull)
The draft of a ship's hull is the vertical distance between the waterline and the bottom of the hull , with the thickness of the hull included; in the case of not being included the draft outline would be obtained...
. Phoenix can pump up to 6400 gal of water per minute, and can deliver it at the rate 9000 gal per minute at a pressure of 150 pound per square inches (1,034,213.6 Pa), or at the rate of 3200 gal per minute at twice the pressure. She can make 15 knots (8.2 m/s). When put into service in 1955, Phoenix was the only fireboat based in San Francisco. Like her predecessors, she docked at Pier 22½; one of only two remaining 1915 Exposition buildings, the other being the Palace of Fine Arts
Palace of Fine Arts
The Palace of Fine Arts in the Marina District of San Francisco, California, is a monumental structure originally constructed for the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition in order to exhibit works of art presented there. One of only a few surviving structures from the Exposition, it is the only one still...
.
Firefighting
Phoenixs first call to action came: in April 1955 a four-alarm blaze at the Ferry Building greatly damaged the north end of the building; losses came to $750,000. Other notable fires that Phoenix fought include Pier 70 burning in 1980, and a lengthy battle at Piers 30–32 over the night of May 9–10, 1984; a five-alarm explosive conflagration which destroyed the piers and caused an estimated $2.5 million in damage.1989 Marina District fires
Phoenix played a notable role in the response to the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. At 5:04 pm on October 17, 1989, a major earthquake rumbled through the San Francisco Bay AreaSan Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
. One of the hardest-hit locations was the Marina District of San Francisco; a densely populated neighborhood built up primarily in the 1920s on rubble, sand and debris dumped at the edge of the bay following the 1906 earthquake. A number of buildings collapsed, and firefighters were called to rescue trapped residents. Subsequent to a sharp aftershock, a fire broke out in a three-story building at Divisadero and Jefferson, threatening nearby buildings. Fire engines connected their hoses to the city's seawater-based Auxiliary Water Supply System (AWSS) and began to quench the fire, but an explosion caused the structure to collapse onto the fire hydrant. Fire crews were forced back, and with the assistance of off-duty police and civilian volunteers they ran hoses four blocks away to alternate sources. Further explosions caused other structures to collapse onto the newly laid hoses. At about the same time, other fire companies in the Marina were reporting water pressure problems with both the AWSS and the regular municipal water system. The AWSS was suffering from broken underground lines and from a 20% loss in stored water volume—both from earthquake damage—and from broken high pressure hydrants caused by building collapses. At 6:16 pm Phoenix was called to assist.
At 6:49 pm fire crews waiting to connect to Phoenix reported she was having difficulty getting close enough because of low tide conditions. Despite the problems requiring pilot and commander Arvid Havneras to perform an extraordinarily hazardous docking procedure, at 7:00 pm Phoenix was ready to pump at the Marina lagoon, two blocks away from the first fire. By this time the whole neighborhood was threatened with destruction by fire. Fire crews were manning hoses laid in anticipation; firefighters at the burning buildings were instructed to hold their ground, that they would soon have more water.
Phoenix connected hoses to an engine company and to two ladder trucks and commenced pumping seawater from the bay. Fire crews renewed their efforts, making a frontal attack on burning structures. Soon, one of the Fire Department's Hose Tenders arrived in the lagoon carrying 5000 feet (1,524 m) of 5 inches (12.7 cm) hose, followed shortly by another hose tender—they connected to Phoenix to relay water to more distant engine companies. In a parallel effort, the AWSS lines were inspected by city workers, temporary repairs made, and two high-pressure pump stations were brought back into operation at about 8 pm, supplying 10,000 U.S. gallons per minute. Phoenix worked until all the Marina fires were under control, pumping seawater continuously for 15 hours at the rate of 6,400 gallons per minute, a total of 5.5 million gallons (20.8 ML).
Phoenix is credited with saving the area from further destruction. Former mayor Dianne Feinstein
Dianne Feinstein
Dianne Goldman Berman Feinstein is the senior U.S. Senator from California. A member of the Democratic Party, she has served in the Senate since 1992. She also served as 38th Mayor of San Francisco from 1978 to 1988....
wrote after the earthquake that the boat "unquestionably saved the Marina from a greater catastrophe". Feinstein, whose term as San Francisco mayor
Mayor of San Francisco
The Mayor of the City and County of San Francisco is the head of the executive branch of San Francisco's city and county government. The mayor has the duty to enforce city laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, the legislative branch....
ended 21 months before the earthquake, saved the city's only fireboat from suggested budget cuts as one of her last mayoral acts. The fireboat's role in the earthquake is the subject of a children's book, Frankie & The Phoenix. Senator Feinstein read the book to students at the opening of a new San Francisco elementary school dedicated in her name in August 2006.
Subsequent to the 1989 earthquake, $50,000 from grateful Marina property owners, and $300,000 from an anonymous donor were used to provide Phoenix with a colleague. Guardian, an older fireboat built in 1951, was purchased from the City of Vancouver, British Columbia, and refurbished. She was piloted down the Pacific Coast to dock alongside Phoenix at Pier 22½. In 1999, the shared fireboat house was declared San Francisco's 225th Historic Landmark.
A planned monument to the 1989 earthquake, the Marina Earthquake Memorial, focuses on the role of Phoenix in the Marina firefighting effort and will incorporate the original 16-foot-high (5 m) tower monitor from Phoenix as a centerpiece of the memorial design.
Ceremonial appearances
Fleet Week
Fleet Week is a United States Navy, United States Marine Corps, and United States Coast Guard tradition in which active military ships recently deployed in overseas operations dock in a variety of major cities for one week. Once the ships dock, the crews can enter the city and visit its tourist...
in San Francisco. In July 2005, Phoenix led the "Parade of Sail" from the Golden Gate Bridge
Golden Gate Bridge
The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the opening of the San Francisco Bay into the Pacific Ocean. As part of both U.S. Route 101 and California State Route 1, the structure links the city of San Francisco, on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula, to...
to the Bay Bridge. Famous tall ships in the parade included the 270 feet (82.3 m) barque ARM Cuauhtémoc from Mexico and the 356 feet (108.5 m) Pallada from Russia. Other ships included the Liberty ship SS Jeremiah O'Brien
SS Jeremiah O'Brien
-See also:*Liberty ship*Victory ship - other surviving Liberty ship*Nash - last surviving Army ship at D-Day...
and the presidential yacht USS Potomac
USS Potomac (AG-25)
USS Potomac , formerly the USCGC Electra, was Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s presidential yacht from 1936 until his death in 1945. It is one of only three still existing presidential yachts. On August 3, 1941, she played a decoy role while Roosevelt held a secret conference to develop the Atlantic...
—both based in San Francisco Bay. In 2008, Phoenix led a similar parade including Californian (California's official tall ship, based in San Diego
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
) and the U.S. Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
barque the Eagle
USCGC Eagle (WIX-327)
The is a barque used as a training cutter for future officers of the United States Coast Guard. She is one of only two active commissioned sailing vessels in American military service, the other being the USS Constitution....
. The Jeremiah O'Brien took part as did the U.S. Navy submarine Pampanito
USS Pampanito (SS-383)
USS Pampanito , a Balao-class submarine, was a United States Navy ship, the only one named for a variety of the pompano fish . She completed six war patrols from 1944 to 1945 and served as a Naval Reserve Training ship from 1960 to 1971...
.
Crew and maintenance
Phoenix is normally operated with a crew of one vessel officer/engineer, one engineer who operates the pumps and engines, one pilotMaritime pilot
A pilot is a mariner who guides ships through dangerous or congested waters, such as harbours or river mouths. With the exception of the Panama Canal, the pilot is only an advisor, as the captain remains in legal, overriding command of the vessel....
who steers the boat, one fire company officer, and three to five firemen to handle hoses and nozzles. Firehouse 35 on Pier 22½ has seven men on duty at all times: four to serve Engine #35, and three dedicated to the two fireboats. All seven are able to man the fireboats in an emergency. As many as ten men can work Phoenix, but in October 1989 after Engine #35 was called to duty, only three were available: Pilot Arvid Havneras, Engineer Nate Hardy, and Lieutenant Bob Banchero.
Phoenix was renovated in 2004 at Bayside Boatworks in Sausalito, California
Sausalito, California
Sausalito is a San Francisco Bay Area city, in Marin County, California, United States. Sausalito is south-southeast of San Rafael, at an elevation of 13 feet . The population was 7,061 as of the 2010 census. The community is situated near the northern end of the Golden Gate Bridge, and prior to...
.