A VISIT TO SOME OF SAN FRANCISCO'S NAVAL AND MARITIME ATTRACTIONS

By Martin J Quinn

Last year during a business trip, I was fortunate enough to visit the USS San Francisco Memorial at Lands End and the USS Hornet Museum in Alameda.   This year, I returned to the city by the Bay in early September, and was able to visit other attractions, such as the USS Pampanito and the Liberty Ship Jeremiah O'Brien.   During my visit I also took in a Bay Cruise and was able to catch a few other naval and maritime related items.   I tried to catch the bi-monthly cruise to Suisun Bay and the USS Iowa, but it was booked for a private tour.  Something to look forward to on the next trip!

The USS San Francisco Memorial - Updated Photos

I returned to Lands End on a rainy and foggy Tuesday afternoon - very different weather from my visit the year before.  I had heard that the memorial had added a marble plaque with an etching of the San Francisco and had wanted to check it out.  I was not disappointed.  The plaque is very impressive in both size and quality.  It adds an exciting dimension to an already powerful memorial.

The Lone Sailor Memorial

On the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge is a small memorial to all the men and women who went to sea in service to our country – Navy, Marines, Coast Guard and Merchant Marine.   The memorial is a statue of sailor and his sea bag, surrounded by a circle of granite.  On the granite are panels depicting four scenes – one of the Coast Guard, one of the Merchant Marine, one of the Marines and one of the Navy (which depicts a Yorktown class carrier).  The memorial overlooks the Golden Gate and San Francisco Harbor.  Unfortunately, these are the only two pictures that came out.

USS Bon Homme Richard LHD-6

The Sunday of my trip, I took in a game at beautiful PacBell Park, home of the San Francisco Giants.  After the game, I walked the 2 plus miles back to my hotel in Fisherman's Wharf.  The next day, while driving past the same spot on my way to an appointment in Foster City, I noticed a large gray warship docked an what had been an empty pier the day before.  Whipping out my trusty Blackberry, I e-mailed Jeff Herne with the hull number, and asked him what ship was LHD-6.  I promptly got a response:  USS Bon Homme Richard.  The next day - armed with my camera - I made a return trip and snapped a few pictures.

If you get to San Francisco, plan on spending plenty of time.  There is a lot to see and do.  It's one of my favorite cities, I look forward to going back again.