Ferries of San Francisco Bay

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San Francisco Bay in California has been served by ferries of all types for over 150 years. John Reed established a sailboat ferry service in 1826. [1] Although the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge and the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge led to the decline in the importance of most ferries, some are still in use today for both commuters and tourists.

Contents

The Southern Pacific Company's Bay City ferry plies the waters of San Francisco Bay in the late 19th century. Southern Pacific Bay City ferry circa 1885.jpg
The Southern Pacific Company's Bay City ferry plies the waters of San Francisco Bay in the late 19th century.

The Creek Route ferries (1851–1937)

Contra Costa, in the foreground, was one of the earliest ferries built expressly for trans-bay service. Capital, in the background, formerly a Sacramento River steamboat, served the route from 1876 to 1896. Both were built by John Gunder North. Sidewheelers Capital and Contra Costa at Davis Street Landing.jpg
Contra Costa, in the foreground, was one of the earliest ferries built expressly for trans-bay service. Capital, in the background, formerly a Sacramento River steamboat, served the route from 1876 to 1896. Both were built by John Gunder North.

One of the earliest ferry routes ran between San Francisco and Oakland on what was called the "creek route". The name derived from the Oakland landing site located at the foot of Broadway where Jack London Square is today, fronting on what is today called the Oakland Estuary, an inlet of San Francisco Bay. The estuary, which in the 1800s included what is today's Lake Merritt, was the "creek". In 1851, [2] Captain Thomas Gray, grandfather of the famous dancer Isadora Duncan, began the first regular ferry service to San Francisco from the East Bay. [3] Service started with the stern-wheel Sacramento River packet General Sutter [2] and the small iron steam ferry Kangaroo. [4] Service was augmented in 1852 by Caleb Cope, the small ferry Hector powered by a steam sawmill engine, and the river packets Jenny Lind and Boston. Boston burned that year and was replaced first by William Brown's San Joaquin River packet Erastus Corning and then by Charles Minturn's river packet Red Jacket. In 1853, Minturn formed the Contra Costa Steam Navigation Company and had the ferry Clinton built expressly for trans-bay service. A second ferry, Contra Costa began operating over the route in 1857. [2] Contra Costa Steam Navigation Company acquired San Antonio Steam Navigation Company with ferries San Antonio and Oakland by merger before being purchased by the San Francisco and Oakland Railroad (SF&O) in 1865. [5] Ferries continued operating along the Creek Route under railroad ownership until 1937.

Railroad ferries (1862–1958)

Central Pacific ferry El Capitan was the largest ferry on San Francisco Bay when built in 1868. C.P.R.R. ferry boat 'El Capitan', at the Terminus, by Thomas Houseworth & Co..jpg
Central Pacific ferry El Capitan was the largest ferry on San Francisco Bay when built in 1868.
Ferry Berkeley (served 1898-1958) at the San Diego Maritime Museum Berkeley Ferry and U.S.S. Dolphin at the Maritime Museum of San Diego.jpg
Ferry Berkeley (served 1898–1958) at the San Diego Maritime Museum

The first railroad ferries on San Francisco Bay were established by the San Francisco and Oakland Railroad and the San Francisco and Alameda Railroad (SF&A), which were taken over by the Central Pacific Railroad (CPRR) in 1870 to become an integral part of the First transcontinental railroad. The earliest railroad ferries ran from Oakland Point and from Alameda Terminal when Alameda was still a peninsula. The ferry pier at Oakland Point was greatly enlarged to form the Oakland Long Wharf. These railroad ferries mostly carried passengers, not trains, although there was some ferrying of freight cars to San Francisco. When the Central Pacific re-routed the Sacramento to Oakland segment of the Transcontinental Railroad in 1876, a ferry across the Carquinez Strait was established, and the world's largest ferryboat, the Solano was built (later joined by a sister ferry, the slightly larger Contra Costa), to serve the crossing. This railroad ferry actually carried whole trains up to 48 freight cars or 24 passenger cars with their locomotives. These ferries became part of the Southern Pacific Railroad (SP) when it assumed many of the facilities of its affiliate, the Central Pacific. These large train ferries were idled when a railway bridge was completed over the Carquinez Strait in November, 1930. [6]

When trains reached Oakland, freight cars were loaded aboard ferries from Long Wharf on Oakland Point beginning in 1870. Freight car ferry loading switched to the Oakland Mole in 1881. After 1890 freight cars were delivered to the San Francisco Belt Railroad ferry slip at the foot of Lombard and East Streets. Belt Railroad tracks were later dual-gauged to also carry cars from the narrow gauge North and South Pacific Coast Railroads. [6]

The Key System transit company established its own ferry service in 1903 between the Ferry Building in San Francisco and its own pier and wharf ("mole") on the Oakland shoreline, located just south of what is today the eastern approach to the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge.

Ferries began serving north bay rail connections with the Petaluma and Haystack Railroad in 1864. San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad (SF&NP) and Petaluma and Santa Rosa Railroad (P&SR) [7] ferries connected Petaluma River landing locations with San Francisco. North Pacific Coast Railroad (NPC) ferries connected Sausalito [8] with San Francisco, and SF&NP ferries later sailed from Tiburon. Some of these ferries operated on Northwestern Pacific Railroad (NWP) schedules from 1907 to 1938. [9]

The Napa Valley Railroad established service in 1865 and connected with ferry boat service in Vallejo, California. Monticello Steamship Company began operating ferries between Vallejo and San Francisco in 1895, and began coordinating with train schedules in 1905. Golden Gate Ferry Company gained control of Monticello in 1927 and, after merging with Southern Pacific, discontinued ferry service to Vallejo in 1937. [10]

Sacramento Northern Railway used a ferry to cross the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers between Mallard and Chipps. Service began in 1912 with the wooden ferry Bridgit carrying six interurban cars. Bridgit burned in 1913 and was replaced by the steel ferry Ramon with the same car capacity. [6]

Santa Fe and Western Pacific (WP) both ran passenger ferries connecting their east bay terminals to San Francisco; but both discontinued ferry service in 1933. Southern Pacific maintained a dominant position in Bay ferry service by gaining control of the South Pacific Coast Railroad (SPC) ferries in 1887, [11] the Northwestern Pacific ferries in 1929, [12] and the Petaluma and Santa Rosa ferries in 1932. [13] After the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge and Golden Gate Bridge opened in 1936 and 1937, Southern Pacific passenger ferry service was reduced to four routes: Ferry Building to Oakland Pier, Ferry Building to Alameda Pier, Hyde Street to Sausalito, and the Northwestern Pacific Ferry Building to Sausalito service. The route from Hyde Street to Sausalito was suspended in 1938 by order of the State Railroad Commission, the last ferry to Alameda ran in 1939, and the Ferry Building to Sausalito service ended February 1941. [14] Many of the large passenger ferries were idled until World War II, when they were mobilized by the federal government to transport military personnel around the bay and shipyard workers from San Francisco to Marinship and Richmond Shipyards. The last Southern Pacific ferry ran between Oakland and San Francisco on July 29, 1958. [15]

Auto ferries (1909–1956)

Ferry Cazadero in 1922 FerryCazadero1922.png
Ferry Cazadero in 1922

Although earlier ferries had carried teams and wagons, Melrose was launched in 1909 as the first San Francisco Bay ferry built with an unobstructed lower deck specifically intended for automobiles, and an upper deck for passengers. Southern Pacific ferries Melrose and Thoroughfare were designated to carry automobiles to and from San Francisco on the original Creek Route in 1911. Southern Pacific built new facilities to shift auto routing to the Oakland Pier in 1921 and purchased three new Six Minute ferries. In 1922, Golden Gate Ferry Company (GG) began transporting automobiles between Hyde Street Pier in San Francisco and Sausalito Ferry Terminal in Marin County. Southern Pacific purchased three more auto ferries with a ferry route linking San Francisco with a Richmond, California connection to the Lincoln Highway in 1925. Golden Gate established another route between Hyde Street and Berkeley Pier in 1927. Southern Pacific built six diesel-electric ferries and gained control of Golden Gate's Golden-prefix ferries to form the subsidiary Southern Pacific-Golden Gate Company in 1929. Another auto ferry pier operated at the foot of Broadway. Southern Pacific-Golden Gate auto ferries ceased operation shortly after the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge and Golden Gate Bridge opened. Most of the ferries were sold for use in Puget Sound, but a few were purchased by the Richmond-San Rafael Ferry Company to shuttle automobiles between Richmond and San Rafael. This last surviving auto ferry route ended when the Richmond–San Rafael Bridge opened in 1956. [16]

Cross-Bay air service (1914–1986)

In 1914, a short-lived seaplane ferry ran between San Francisco and Oakland. From 1930 to 1933, a more successful trans-Bay seaplane ferry was operated by Air Ferries Ltd. It ran from Pier 5 on the San Francisco waterfront to a shoreline barge docked at the foot of Franklin Street along the Oakland Estuary. It also operated between San Francisco and Vallejo. A fatal accident in 1933 put an end to the service. [17]

During the 1960s, SFO Helicopter transported passengers to and from the San Francisco and Oakland airports from various locales around the bay, including the San Francisco waterfront and the Berkeley Marina. After ceasing operations in the 1970s it briefly resumed service in 1983 before going out of business in 1986. [18] [19]

Rebirth of ferries (1959–present)

Golden Gate Ferry Sonoma, approaching the San Francisco Ferry Building in 2007 Ferry-sonoma-MCB.jpg
Golden Gate Ferry Sonoma, approaching the San Francisco Ferry Building in 2007

With the abandonment of the last railroad ferries, there was a brief period 1958–1962 with no commuter ferry service at all on the Bay (though tourist-oriented service to Angel Island began in 1959 [20] ). In March 1962 Red & White Fleet, then known as Harbor Carriers, [21] started commute-hour ferry service from Tiburon to the San Francisco Ferry Building. [22] During a strike by Harbor Carriers employees in 1969, the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District chartered a boat to provide replacement service; the success of this experiment led the District to establish Golden Gate Ferry and begin operating service from Sausalito to the Ferry Building in 1970. [23] [24] Today Golden Gate Ferry operates modern high speed ferryboats between San Francisco and four different landings in Marin County.

In 1973 Alcatraz Island opened to the public as a museum and ferry service from San Francisco began under a concession granted by the National Park Service. [25]

The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake caused a section of the Bay Bridge road deck to collapse, closing it to all traffic. In response, ferry service was quickly set up between piers in Oakland and Alameda and San Francisco (following almost the same path as the 19th-century "creek route" ferries). This service continued to operate with sponsorship from the City of Alameda and Port of Oakland after the bridge reopened the following month. [26]

In 2011 the San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA) was set up to take over the Oakland/Alameda route and other routes between San Francisco and the East Bay, forming the San Francisco Bay Ferry system; over the following decade it added several additional routes. [27] WETA contracts with the private Blue & Gold Fleet for the operation of these services. Blue & Gold additionally operates its own tourist-oriented ferry and sightseeing services; together these make the company the largest ferry transportation provider in the Bay Area as of 2022. [28]

Current ferry routes

San Francisco Bay Ferry Hydrus in 2017 San Francisco Bay Ferry Hydrus May 2017.jpg
San Francisco Bay Ferry Hydrus in 2017
TerminalsCurrent operatorYear begunService notes
Sausalito ↔ San Francisco Ferry Building Golden Gate Ferry 1970 [29]
Sausalito ↔ San Francisco Pier 41 Blue & Gold Fleet 1982 [30] Mid-day hours only [31]
Tiburon ↔ San Francisco Ferry Building Golden Gate Ferry 1962 [23]
Angel Island ↔ San Francisco Ferry Building Golden Gate Ferry 2021 [29] [lower-alpha 1]
Angel Island ↔ Tiburon Angel Island–Tiburon Ferry 1959 [20] Weekend-only in winter [34]
Larkspur ↔ San Francisco Ferry Building Golden Gate Ferry 1976 [29]
Mare Island and
Vallejo 		↔ San Francisco Ferry Building San Francisco Bay Ferry 1986 [26] [lower-alpha 2]
Richmond ↔ San Francisco Ferry Building San Francisco Bay Ferry 2019 [36]
Berkeley ↔ San Francisco Pier 1½ and
San Francisco Pier 52 		Tideline 2017 [37] Thursdays only, commute hours only [38]
Treasure Island ↔ San Francisco Ferry Building Prop SF 2022 [39]
Alameda Main Street and
Oakland Jack London Square 		↔ San Francisco Ferry Building San Francisco Bay Ferry 1989 [26]
Alameda Main Street and
Oakland Jack London Square 		↔ South San Francisco San Francisco Bay Ferry 2012 [40] Weekday commute hours only [41]
Alameda Seaplane Lagoon↔ San Francisco Ferry Building San Francisco Bay Ferry 2021 [42] Weekdays only [43]
Alameda Harbor Bay↔ San Francisco Ferry Building San Francisco Bay Ferry 1992 [26] Weekdays only [44]
San Francisco Pier 41 ↔ San Francisco Ferry Building San Francisco Bay Ferry 2021 [45] [lower-alpha 3] Weekends only [46]
Alcatraz Island ↔ San Francisco Pier 33 Hornblower Cruises 1973 [25]

Annual ridership

FY*San Francisco Bay FerryGolden Gate Ferry
Alameda/
Oakland		Harbor BayRichmondSouth San FranciscoVallejo/
Mare Island		Alameda
Seaplane		LarkspurSausalitoTiburon
2006–07443,000130,000——897,000—1,477,762547,173
2007–08459,000145,000848,0001,414,588565,255
2008–09400,000143,000690,0001,370,400578,635
2009–10421,000147,000682,0001,338,764583,331
2010–11455,130154,000697,0001,432,039599,180
2011–12545,393177,1595,141668,7701,526,375669,039
2012–13606,960203,13140,505713,3001,605,989718,885
2013–14821,633246,69584,098826,4451,677,050793,533
2014–15911,473266,304107,389858,6651,727,872812,819
2015–161,149,085311,313125,946959,9391,753,484791,638
2016–171,183,188321,289136,3201,000,7731,692,741768,94261,394
2017–181,311,041332,283144,7351,056,342*1,660,272726,010191,855
2018–191,384,300355,71384,576142,7491,081,6651,644,783629,954195,467
2019–201,006,824246,657158,199103,798783,3791,712,5071,148,981139,535
2020–21102,482—24,688137,328—89,861
2021–22479,196113,207158,98624,075484,686145,786690,362
Sources: [47] [48] [49] [50] [51] [52] [53] [54] [55] [56] [57]

Ferryboat roster

Passenger Ferry General Frisbiein in 1909 General Frisbie.jpg
Passenger Ferry General Frisbiein in 1909
Passenger Ferry Oakland (as the Chrysopolis) ran from 1875 to 1940 Chrysopolis (steamboat) 01.jpeg
Passenger Ferry Oakland (as the Chrysopolis) ran from 1875 to 1940

Present

  • Golden Gate (7 vessels)
  • WETA (16 vessels)
    • Argo
    • Bay Breeze
    • Carina
    • Cetus
    • Dorado
    • Gemini
    • Hydrus
    • Intintoli
    • Lyra
    • Mare Island
    • Peralta
    • Pisces
    • Pyxis
    • Scorpio
    • Taurus
    • Vela
  • Angel Island–Tiburon
    • Angel Island
    • Bonita
    • Tamalpais
  • Blue & Gold (20+ vessels)
    • Golden Bear
    • Oski
    • Royal Star
    • Zelinsky
  • Red & White (5 vessels)
    • Enhydra
    • Harbor Princess
    • Harbor Queen
    • Royal Prince
    • Zalophus
  • NWP[ citation needed ]
    • Ukiah

Past

Historical ferryboat table

Name [58] OperatorIn Service [58] RetiredGross Tons [58] Length (feet) [58] Horse- power [58] Notes
AlamedaSF&A / CPRR / SP18661898813193350side-wheel passenger ferry
Alameda SP1914194323022732500side-wheel passenger ferry; sold to USN as YHB-25 after wartime shipyard service [58]
AlviraDavie18891916469144200stern-wheel passenger ferry
AmadorCPRR / SP18691904985199300side-wheel passenger ferry
AntelopeSF&NP18711888581202side-wheel passenger ferry built 1848 [9]
Bay City SPC / SP187819291283230800side-wheel passenger ferry
Berkeley SP1898195819452611450passenger ferry
BostonGray18521852
Bridgit Sacramento Northern Railway 19121913186interurban car ferry [6]
Caleb CopeGray18521852
CalistogaMonticello / GG / SP1907193926802982600built as Florida; rebuilt as auto ferry in 1927; sold to USN as YFB-21 [58]
CapitalCPRR / SP187618961989277900side-wheel passenger ferry: Steamboat built in 1866 by John Gunder North for the California Steam Navigation Company; on the Sacramento - San Francisco run until 1876. [59] : 125 
CazaderoNS / NWP1903194116822571600converted to barge in 1941 [8]
City of Long Beach [60]
City of Sacramento Monticello / GG / SP1918194130162975900auto ferry; sold to Puget Sound Navigation; requisitioned for wartime shipyard service to Richmond yard 2 [61]
ClaremontKey
Clinton Contra Costa / NPC18531877194128125side-wheel passenger ferry; sunk in collision in 1877; [8] built by Domingo Marcucci [62] : 15 
Contra Costa Contra Costa / SF&A / NPC18571882449170150side-wheel passenger ferry, [8] built by John G. North [63] : 127–128, 135 
Contra Costa SP19141930Carquinez Strait train ferry [6]
El Capitan CPRR / SP18681925982194250side-wheel passenger ferry
El Paso SP / Richmond-San Rafael1924195619532341400auto ferry transferred from SP service in 1938
EncinalSP1888193020142451000side-wheel passenger ferry
Erastus CorningBrown18521852 [2]
Eureka NWP / SP1923195724202771500Steam engine side-paddle ferry; Vessel originally built in 1890 as the railway ferry Ukiah with capacity for 10 freight cars; [6] conversion to a passenger ferry began in 1922 & was completed in 1923; after being converted to passenger use, "Ukiah" was renamed "Eureka"; [8] preserved at San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park [8]
Feather River WP1913193315782182500built as Edward T. Jeffery; sold to SP as Sierra Nevada in 1933 [64]
Fresno (now MV Willapa)SP1927194024682431800diesel auto ferry
Garden City SPC / SP187919291080208625side-wheel passenger ferry
USAT General Frank M. Coxe United States Army 19221947539144military personnel ferry
General Frisbie Monticello19011927passenger ferry [10]
General McPherson United States Army 18671887104 Fort Alcatraz ferry [65] [66]
General SutterGray18511852 [2]
GoldP&SR19031920334140200stern-wheel passenger & freight ferry built in 1883; burned 8 November 1920 [7]
GoldP&SR / NWP19211935317155150stern-wheel passenger & freight ferry built as Fort Bragg in 1899 [7]
Golden AgeGG / SP192819377792271200diesel auto ferry
Golden BearGG / SP192719377792271200diesel auto ferry
Golden CoastGG / SP190319376161751200auto ferry built as Yerba Buena; then Harry E. Speas [58]
Golden DawnKey /GG / SP190519376121802000former Key System passenger ferry San Francisco rebuilt as auto ferry [58]
Golden EraKey / GG / SP190819376731942000former Key System passenger ferry Fernwood rebuilt as auto ferry [58]
Golden GateGG / SP192219375982071300diesel auto ferry
Golden PoppyGG / SP192719377792271200diesel auto ferry
Golden ShoreGG / SP192719377792271200diesel auto ferry
Golden StateGG / SP192619377802271200diesel auto ferry
Golden WayKey / GG / SP1907193711381892000former Key System passenger ferry Claremont rebuilt as auto ferry [58]
Golden WestGG / SP192319375942141300diesel auto ferry
Grace BartonWhitney1890191619410060stern-wheel passenger ferry
HaywardKey1945requisitioned for wartime shipyard service
HectorGray18521852 [2]
James M. DonahueSF&NP / NWP18751921730228side-wheel passenger ferry [9]
Jenny Lind Gray1850185361 [63] : 139  [2] Wrecked by an explosion on April 13, 1853. [63] : 139 
KangarooGray18511852 [2]
Klamath SP / Richmond-San Rafael1924195619522341300auto ferry transferred from SP service in 1938
LagunitasNS / NWP19031921767280400stern-wheel freight car ferry [8] (capacity 8 freight cars) [6]
Las PlumasWP1957diesel railcar ferry
Lake Tahoe SP1927194024682431800diesel auto ferry
LouiseSF&O / CPRR18701877368148125side-wheel passenger ferry
Mare IslandBerkeley18701877338124125side-wheel passenger ferry
MarinSF&NP / NWP1909193410197passenger ferry built as Requa and renamed after repairing fire damage in 1911 [9]
Melrose SP1909193126622731340side-wheel auto ferry
Mendocino NWP1927193924672431800diesel auto ferry
Napa ValleyMonticello / GG / SP1910194021852312600auto ferry
Newark SPC / SP1877192317832681200side-wheel passenger ferry rebuilt as Sacramento in 1923 [58]
New Orleans SP1924193819522341400auto ferry sold as Russian River in 1938
OaklandSan Antonio / Contra Costa / SF&O / CPRR18591874418200side-wheel passenger ferry
OaklandCPRR / SP187519401672265200side-wheel passenger ferry built as a side-wheel steamboat Chrysopolis in 1860, by John G. North; [58] rebuilt as a double ended ferry-boat in 1875 by Patrick Henry Tiernan; [67] destroyed by fire in 1940. [63] : 34–40, 136, 142 
Ocean WaveSanta Fe19011933
Peralta18571857 [68]
Peralta Key19261933passenger ferry; burned 6 May 1933
PetalumaP&SR18841914264135250stern-wheel passenger & freight ferry built as Resolute in 1884; burned 22 March 1914 [7]
PetalumaP&SR / NWP19141935448148250stern-wheel passenger & freight ferry built in 1914 using the engine of the burned ferry Petaluma [7]
PiedmontSP188319401854257257side-wheel passenger ferry
RamonSacramento Northern1913 [6] 1954600interurban car ferry [69]
RangerChipman & Aughinbaugh1853185429passenger ferry destroyed by boiler explosion 8 January 1854
Red JacketMinturn18521857 [2]
Redwood Empire NWP1927193924702431800diesel auto ferry
RosalieDavie1893318137350passenger ferry
Russian River Richmond-San Rafael1938195619522341400former auto ferry New Orleans purchased in 1938
Sacramento SP1923195422542681400side-wheel passenger ferry rebuilt from Newark in 1923 [58]
San AntonioSan Antonio / Contra Costa / SF&O18581871659side-wheel passenger ferry
San JoseKey
San LeandroKey / SP1923195816532251325passenger ferry requisitioned for wartime shipyard service and then to United States Army [70]
San Mateo SP1922194017822171400auto ferry
San PabloSanta Fe190019331535passenger ferry [71]
San PedroSanta Fe191119331720passenger ferry; became USN YFB-46 [71]
San RafaelNPC18771901692220side-wheel passenger ferry sunk in collision in 1901 [8]
Santa Clara SP1915194522822732500side-wheel passenger ferry requisitioned for wartime shipyard service to Marinship
Santa Rosa NWP1927193924652431800diesel auto ferry
SaucelitoNPC18771884692220side-wheel passenger ferry burned at San Quentin in 1884 [8]
SausalitoNPC / NS / NWP1894193217662561200side-wheel freight car and passenger ferry [8]
SehomeMonticello19091918passenger ferry built as stern-wheel Mountain Queen in 1877; rebuilt with side-wheel propulsion in 1889; rebuilt with propeller in 1914; sunk in collision with General Frisbie [10]
Shasta SP1922194017822171400auto ferry
Sierra Nevada SP / Richmond-San Rafael1933195615782182500formerly WP passenger ferry Feather River purchased 1933; requisitioned for wartime shipyard service to Richmond yard 1; converted to auto ferry when sold by SP in 1947
Solano CPRR / SP18791930484Carquinez Strait train ferry [6]
Sophie MacLaneSF&A18581864242148side-wheel passenger ferry
Stockton SP1927194024672431800diesel auto ferry
TamalpaisNPC18571900365150side-wheel passenger ferry built as Petaluma of Saucelito [8]
TamalpaisNPC / NS / NWP1901194116312451800side-wheel passenger ferry; sold to USN in 1941 as floating barracks at Mare Island [8]
TelephoneWP19121913 [64]
ThoroughfareCPRR / SP187119091012248400side-wheel freight car ferry (capacity 18 cars) [6]
Thoroughfare SP1912193526042731300side-wheel auto ferry
TiburonSF&NP / NWP188419251248240side-wheel passenger ferry [9]
TransitCPRR / SP187519341566314500side-wheel freight car ferry (capacity 20 cars) [6]
WashoeSF&O / CPRR18641878580250side-wheel passenger ferry
Yerba BuenaKeyrequisitioned for wartime shipyard service to Richmond yard 3 and then to United States Army
Yosemite SP1923193917822171400auto ferry

Relocated ferryboats

Several ferries that had seen service on San Francisco Bay were relocated after the bay bridges were built. Yosemite was sold to the Argentina-Uruguayan Navigation Touring Company, renamed Argentina, and served a route crossing the Rio de la Plata. Seventeen were purchased by the Puget Sound Navigation Company: [58]

  • City of Sacramento
  • Fresno (renamed Willapa) [70]
  • Golden Age (renamed Klahanie)
  • Golden Bear
  • Golden Dawn
  • Golden Poppy (renamed Chetzemoka)
  • Golden Shore (renamed Elwha)
  • Golden State (renamed Kehloken)
  • Golden West
  • Lake Tahoe (renamed Illahee)
  • Mendocino (renamed Nisqually)
  • Napa Valley (renamed Malahat)
  • Peralta (renamed Kalakala)
  • Redwood Empire (renamed Quinault)
  • San Mateo
  • Santa Rosa (renamed Enetai)
  • Shasta
  • Stockton (renamed Klickitat)

Golden West was promptly resold to San Diego and renamed North Island for service between San Diego and Coronado. Golden Bear was salvaged for parts after being damaged when a towline parted off the Oregon coast on 15 November 1937. The others went on to serve in the waters of northwestern Washington and southwestern British Columbia. After serving seven years as Elwha, Golden Shore was sold to San Diego in 1944 and renamed Silver Strand on the San Diego-Coronado route. [58] The City of Sacramento operated on the Seattle-Bremerton route in the 1940s, then on the Horseshoe Bay-Nanaimo route from 1952 to 1963 as the MV Kahloke , and finally on the Horseshoe Bay-Langdale route from 1964 to 1976 as the MV Langdale Queen . The Peralta, rebuilt as the MV Kalakala, operated on various Puget Sound crossings and on the Seattle-Victoria-Port Angeles route. The City of Long Beach, renamed the City of Angeles, operated out of Port Angeles and the Stockton, which became the Klickitat , operated on the Keystone-Port Townsend route until 2007. Mendocino (renamed Quinault) and Redwood Empire (renamed Nisqually) were retired in 2003 and scrapped in 2009. Santa Rosa was renamed Enetai, returned to San Francisco Bay in 1968, and is preserved at Pier 3. [9]

Notes

  1. ↑ Replaced service between Angel Island and Pier 41 provided by private operators since 1961 [32] [33]
  2. ↑ Mare Island stop added 2017 [35]
  3. ↑ Service between the Ferry Building and Pier 41 was previously provided as an extension of the Vallejo and Oakland/Alameda routes

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hyde Street Pier</span>

The Hyde Street Pier, at 2905 Hyde Street, is a historic ferry pier located on the northern waterfront of San Francisco in the U.S. state of California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oakland Long Wharf</span> Former rail-ferry pier in California

The Oakland Long Wharf was an 11,000-foot railroad wharf and ferry pier along the east shore of San Francisco Bay located at the foot of Seventh Street in West Oakland. The Oakland Long Wharf was built, beginning 1868, by the Central Pacific Railroad on what was previously Oakland Point. Beginning November 8, 1869, it served as the west coast terminus of the First transcontinental railroad. In the 1880s, Southern Pacific Railroad took over the CPRR, extending it and creating a new ferry terminal building with the official station name Oakland Pier. The entire structure became commonly and popularly called the Oakland Mole. Portions of the Wharf lasted until the 1960s. The site is now part of the facilities of the Port of Oakland, while passenger train service operates at the nearby Jack London Square/Dellums Station and another nearby station in Emeryville.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Pacific Coast Railroad</span> Railroad in California

The North Pacific Coast Railroad (NPC) was a common carrier 3 ft (914 mm) narrow-gauge steam railroad begun in 1874 and sold in 1902 to new owners who renamed it the North Shore Railroad (California) (NSR) and which rebuilt the southern section into a standard-gauge electric railway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Pacific Coast Railroad</span>

The South Pacific Coast Railroad (SPC) was a 3 ft narrow gauge steam railroad running between Santa Cruz, California, and Alameda, with a ferry connection in Alameda to San Francisco. The railroad was created as the Santa Clara Valley Railroad, founded by local strawberry growers as a way to get their crops to market in San Francisco and provide an alternative to the Southern Pacific Railroad. In 1876, James Graham Fair, a Comstock Lode silver baron, bought the line and extended it into the Santa Cruz Mountains to capture the significant lumber traffic coming out of the redwood forests. The narrow-gauge line was originally laid with 52-pound-per-yard (26 kg/m) rail on 8-foot (2.44 m) redwood ties; and was later acquired by the Southern Pacific and converted to 4 ft 8+1⁄2 instandard gauge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue & Gold Fleet</span>

Blue & Gold Fleet is a privately owned company in the United States providing ferry services in the San Francisco Bay Area of California. It operates the San Francisco Bay Ferry commuter ferry system under contract with WETA. Blue & Gold also operates tourist and excursion services under its own brand from Pier 41 in San Francisco, with midday ferry service to Sausalito and a variety of tourist routes. The company is the Bay Area's largest ferry transportation provider and carries approximately 4 million passengers annually.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Golden Gate Ferry</span> Transport company in United States of America

Golden Gate Ferry is a commuter ferry service operated by the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District in San Francisco Bay, part of the Bay Area of Northern California, United States. Regular service is run to the Ferry Building in San Francisco from Larkspur, Sausalito, Tiburon, and Angel Island in Marin County, with additional service from Larkspur to Oracle Park and Chase Center. The ferry service is funded primarily by passenger fares and Golden Gate Bridge tolls. In 2023, Golden Gate Ferry had a ridership of 1,299,200, or about 3,500 per weekday as of the fourth quarter of 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Francisco Bay Ferry</span> Public transit passenger ferry service in the San Francisco Bay

San Francisco Bay Ferry is a public transit passenger ferry service in the San Francisco Bay, administered by the San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA) and operated under contract by the privately owned, Blue and Gold Fleet. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 2,230,400, or about 8,400 per weekday as of the fourth quarter of 2023.

Richmond–San Rafael Ferry Company

The Richmond–San Rafael Ferry Company was a ferry service between Castro Point in Richmond in Contra Costa County and San Quentin in Marin County, California across the San Pablo Bay. It ran from 1915 until the 1956 opening of the Richmond–San Rafael Bridge.

The San Francisco and Oakland Railroad (SF&O) was built in 1862 to provide ferry-train service from a San Francisco ferry terminal connecting with railroad service through Oakland to San Antonio. In 1868 Central Pacific Railroad decided that Oakland would be the west coast terminus of the First transcontinental railroad and bought SF&O. Beginning November 8, 1869, part of the SF&O line served as the westernmost portion of the transcontinental railroad. It subsequently was absorbed into the Southern Pacific Railroad (SP). The track in Oakland was electrified in 1911 and extended across the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge in 1939. Service was abandoned in 1941.

The San Francisco and Alameda Railroad (SF&A) was a short-lived railroad company in the East Bay area of the San Francisco Bay Area. The railroad line opened 1864–1865 from Alameda Terminal on Alameda Island to Hayward, California, with ferry service between Alameda Terminal and San Francisco started in 1864. After being bankrupted by the 1868 Hayward earthquake, it was acquired by a subsidiary of the Central Pacific Railroad in August 1869. Part of the SF&A line between Alameda Terminal and San Leandro served as a portion of the First transcontinental railroad starting in September 1869, while the southern section was abandoned in 1873.

The Western Pacific Railroad (1862–1870) was formed in 1862 to build a railroad from Sacramento, California, to the San Francisco Bay, the westernmost portion of the First transcontinental railroad. After the completion of the railroad from Sacramento to Alameda Terminal on September 6, 1869, and then the Oakland Pier on November 8, 1869, which was the Pacific coast terminus of the transcontinental railroad, the Western Pacific Railroad was absorbed in 1870 into the Central Pacific Railroad.

Sierra Nevada was a steel-hulled steam-powered passenger ferry operated on San Francisco Bay. The ferry was built for the Western Pacific Railroad as Edward T. Jeffery in 1913 and subsequently renamed Feather River. The ferry offered connecting service to San Francisco for Western Pacific train passengers arriving in Oakland, California. The ferry was sold to Southern Pacific Transportation Company when Western Pacific began using Southern Pacific's Oakland ferry facilities in May, 1933. Southern Pacific renamed the ferry Sierra Nevada and placed it in commuter service between San Francisco and Alameda, California until that route was discontinued in 1939. The ferry was leased to the Key System for the Golden Gate International Exposition on Treasure Island from 1939 through 1940. In 1942, the ferry was requisitioned by the federal government to carry shipyard workers from San Francisco to Richmond Yard 1 through World War II. The Richmond-San Rafael Ferry Company purchased the ferry in 1947 and rebuilt it to carry automobiles between Richmond and San Rafael until the Richmond–San Rafael Bridge opened on 1 September 1956. The ferry was then towed to San Pedro, Los Angeles where she sank in 1978.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South San Francisco Ferry Terminal</span>

The South San Francisco Ferry Terminal is the only operating ferry terminal in San Mateo County, California. Boats are operated there by the San Francisco Bay Ferry company, and connect the city of South San Francisco to the Oakland Ferry Terminal in Jack London Square as well as Alameda, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sausalito Ferry Terminal</span> Ferry terminal in Sausalito, California, US

Sausalito Ferry Terminal is a ferry terminal in Sausalito, California, connecting Marin County and San Francisco. The station is served by Golden Gate Ferry and Blue & Gold Fleet ferries as well as Golden Gate Transit and Marin Transit bus routes.

Golden Gate Ferry Company was a private company which operated automobile ferries between San Francisco, Berkeley and Sausalito before the opening of the Bay Bridge and the Golden Gate Bridge. The company was incorporated in November 1920. In early 1929, the Golden Gate Ferry Company merged with the ferry system of the Southern Pacific railroad, becoming the Southern Pacific-Golden Gate Ferries, Ltd. The auto ferries were discontinued soon after the Golden Gate and Bay Bridges were opened.

References

  1. ↑ Hogle, Gene (1931). NAC Green Book of Pacific Coast Touring. National Automobile Club. p. 41.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Ford 1977 , pp. 18–19
  3. ↑ Port of Oakland-History Archived 2007-08-31 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ↑ Forgotten Pioneers: Irish Leaders in Northern California, Thomas F. Prendergast, The Minerva Group, Inc., 2001, p.261
  5. 1 2 Ford 1977 , pp. 22–27
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Graves, Roy (1954). "Railroading on San Francisco Bay". The Western Railroader. 17 (175). Francis A. Guido: 1–11.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 Stindt 1985 , p. 128
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Dickson 1974 , p. 139
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Stindt 1978 , p. 256
  10. 1 2 3 "San Francisco Bay Ferryboats - Yesterday". Joe Thompson. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
  11. ↑ Ford 1977 , p. 59
  12. ↑ Kneiss 1956 , p. 137
  13. ↑ Schmale 2009 , p. 9
  14. ↑ "NWP Interurban Service Ends Tomorrow; Buses to Take Over Marin Transit". Sausalito News. February 27, 1941. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  15. ↑ Ford 1977 , pp. 201–209, 284–285, 289
  16. ↑ Ford 1977 , pp. 90, 131, 162–173, 342
  17. ↑ "People and Planes - January '98 Aviation History Department - HistoryNet". www.historynet.com. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
  18. ↑ "Air Tickets History: San Francisco and Oakland Helicopter Airlines".
  19. ↑ "SFO Helicopter Airlines Schedules and Fares". November 1, 1983. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
  20. 1 2 "About". Angel Island Tiburon Ferry Company. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  21. ↑ "Legacy Business Registry Staff Report: Red and White Fleet" (PDF). San Francisco Office of Small Business. April 10, 2017. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  22. ↑ Percy, Michael (November 30, 1965). "Tiburon Ferry Still Runs In Red". San Rafael Daily Independent Journal. Retrieved October 24, 2022.
  23. 1 2 Prial, Frank (May 2, 1971). "Ferryboat Return Pleases San Francisco Commuters". The New York times. Retrieved October 24, 2022.
  24. ↑ "Silver Anniversary for Golden Gate Ferry". sfgate.com. August 12, 1995. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
  25. 1 2 "Alcatraz, Now Empty, Silent and Desolate, Is Opened to the Public". The New York Times. October 27, 1973. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  26. 1 2 3 4 "Water Emergency Transportation Authority Draft Final Transition Plan" (PDF). Water Emergency Transportation Authority. June 18, 2009. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  27. ↑ "2020 Short Range Transit Plan" (PDF). Water Emergency Transportation Authority. pp. 11–12. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
  28. ↑ "About". Blue & Gold Fleet. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  29. 1 2 3 "Ferry Timeline". Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  30. ↑ "Lease of public tides and submerged lands". City of Sausalito. December 1, 1995. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  31. ↑ "Sausalito Ferry". Blue & Gold Fleet. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  32. ↑ "Golden Gate Bridge district begins Angel Island ferry route". Marin Independent Journal. December 14, 2021. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
  33. ↑ "Harbor Tours Adds Trip to Angel Island". The San Francisco Chronicle. July 9, 1961.
  34. ↑ "Schedule". Angel Island Tiburon Ferry Company. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  35. ↑ "Mare Island Ferry service begins on March 6, 2017" (PDF) (Press release). Water Emergency Transportation Authority.
  36. ↑ "Richmond Ferry Service Launches". Water Emergency Transportation Authority. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  37. ↑ Lochner, Tom (February 28, 2017). "Berkeley: Ferry service to San Francisco launched". East Bay Times. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  38. ↑ "Berkeley - San Francisco". Tideline Marine Group. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  39. ↑ "San Francisco Celebrates Official Launch of Treasure Island Ferry Service | Office of the Mayor". sfmayor.org. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  40. ↑ "New South San Francisco Service Launches June 4, 2012 | San Francisco Bay Ferry". Archived from the original on July 11, 2012. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  41. ↑ "South San Francisco Ferry Route". Water Emergency Transportation Authority. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  42. ↑ Potter, Pat (July 6, 2021). "Celebrating New Ferry". Alameda Sun. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
  43. ↑ "Alameda Seaplane Ferry Route". Water Emergency Transportation Authority. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  44. ↑ "Harbor Bay Ferry Route". Water Emergency Transportation Authority. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  45. ↑ "New Ferry Schedules (Effective July 1, 2021)". Water Emergency Transportation Authority. Archived from the original on May 19, 2021. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  46. ↑ "Pier 41 Short Hop Ferry". Water Emergency Transportation Authority. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  47. ↑ "Short Range Transit Plan FY2012 – FY2021" (PDF). Water Emergency Transportation Authority. 2012. Appendix A. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 9, 2016. Retrieved January 9, 2016.
  48. ↑ "Meeting of the Board of Directors" (PDF). Water Emergency Transportation Authority. August 29, 2013. Attachment 1. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 9, 2016. Retrieved January 9, 2016.
  49. ↑ "Meeting of the Board of Directors" (PDF). Water Emergency Transportation Authority. July 10, 2014. Attachment 1. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 9, 2016. Retrieved January 9, 2016.
  50. ↑ "Meeting of the Board of Directors" (PDF). Water Emergency Transportation Authority. August 24, 2015. Attachment A (Total Passengers Current FY To Date). Archived from the original (PDF) on January 22, 2016. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
  51. ↑ "Meeting of the Board of Directors" (PDF). Water Emergency Transportation Authority. September 3, 2015. Attachment A (Total Passengers June 2015). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
  52. ↑ "Meeting of the Board of Directors" (PDF). Water Emergency Transportation Authority. August 4, 2016. Attachment A (Total Passengers Current FY To Date). Archived from the original (PDF) on November 7, 2017. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
  53. ↑ "Meeting of the Board of Directors" (PDF). Water Emergency Transportation Authority. September 1, 2016. Attachment A (Total Passengers June 2016). Archived from the original (PDF) on November 7, 2017. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
  54. ↑ "Meeting of the Board of Directors". Water Emergency Transportation Authority. September 6, 2018. Attachment A (Monthly Operating Statistics Report June 2018). Retrieved April 29, 2019.
  55. ↑ "Statistics & Ridership". Golden Gate Ferry. Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
  56. ↑ "Monthly Operating Statistics Report June 2020" (PDF). Water Emergency Transportation Authority. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
  57. ↑ "Monthly Operating Statistics Report June 2022" (PDF). Water Emergency Transportation Authority. August 17, 2022. p. 5. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
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  59. ↑ Scott, Erving M. and Others, Evolution of Shipping and Ship-Building in California, Part II, Overland Monthly and Out West Magazine, Volume 25, February 1895, pp.122-129; from quod.lib.umich.edu accessed March 10, 2015
  60. ↑ Pickens, Steve. "The Rogue's Gallery". www.evergreenfleet.com. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
  61. ↑ History of the MV Langdale Queen, ex-MV Kahloke, ex-SS City of Sacramento, ex-SS Asbury Park
  62. ↑ Scott, Erving M. and Others, Evolution of Shipping and Ship-Building in California, Part I, Overland Monthly and Out West Magazine, Volume 25, January 1895, pp.5-16; from quod.lib.umich.edu accessed March 10, 2015
  63. 1 2 3 4 MacMullen, Jerry, Paddle-Wheel Days in California, Stanford University Press, Stanford, 1970.
  64. 1 2 Ford 1977 , p. 197
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  68. ↑ Ford 1977 , p. 20
  69. ↑ Demoro, Harre W. (1986). California's Electric Railways. Glendale, California: Interurban Press. p. 14. ISBN   0-916374-74-2.
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Bibliography

  • Dickson, A. Bray (1974). Narrow Gauge to the Redwoods . Trans-Anglo Books. ISBN   0-87046-010-2.
  • Ford, Robert S. (1977). Red Trains in the East Bay. Interurbans Publications. ISBN   0-916374-27-0.
  • Harlan, George H. (1967). San Francisco Bay Ferryboats. Howell-North Books.
  • Kemble, John Haskell (1978) [1957]. San Francisco Bay: A Pictorial Maritime History. Bonanza Books.
  • Kneiss, Gilbert H. (1956). Redwood Railways. Howell-North.
  • Schmale, John & Kristina (2009). Petaluma and Santa Rosa Railway. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN   978-0-7385-5959-9.
  • Stindt, Fred A. (1978). The Northwestern Pacific Railroad. Stindt, Fred A.
  • Stindt, Fred A. (1985). The Northwestern Pacific Railroad, Volume Two. Fred A. Stindt. ISBN   0-9615465-0-6.
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