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At left, the Star of India leads an armada of more than 1,000 small craft on one of her historic cruises in August 1996. Above, the f erry Berkeley, immaculately maintained amidst a hive of activity, serves as a base for the museum's exhibit galleries, library and other fa cilities. (Photos by Bob Grieser)
volunteered their services , and the silence of decay aboard the Star was replaced by the cheerful sound of hammers and saws, and showers of sparks from welding torches. Finally, in 1976, the fully restored Star of India put to sea for the first time in fifty years under the command of Captain Carl Bowman. She sailed beautifully that day-to the applause of hundreds of thousands of her fans, ashore and afloat. Since that date the Star has put to sea eight additional times , three times in August of 1996. She has been called the foremost symbol of San Diego, for ships like her were the original sinews of the city's progress. Yet she is more than that-she is the essence of a vanished age, a glorious time when men and women voyaged under towers of canvas. Windships like the Star ofIndia opened up the globe and in doing so, they brought our modem world into being. Her presence in the harbor has opened new opportunities for the city. In 1972, the San Diego Maritime Museum was transformed when the San Francisco ferry B erkeley of 1898 took her place beside the Star of India. She is steelSEA HISTORY 79, AUTUMN 1996
hulled with upperworks of wood. In a three-year campaign that is a saga in itself, the wooden structure, which had considerably deteriorated , was made completely sound and has since been kept up to the highest standards, with resulting low maintenance costs. The hallmark of restoration work in San Diego is the immediate removal of rot as soon as it appears; the entire structure is continuously recaulked and repainted. A well organized museum is now installed aboard Berkeley. Meetings of 200-300 people are routinely held on board and, on a recent Saturday, the ship surged with life as staff and volunteers busily attended eager crowds of vi sitors. Another major acquisition is the Edwardian steam yacht M edea, built in Scotland in 1904. At 109' she is not a giant, but she is a luxurious example ofa tumof-th.e-century nabob 's yacht. She steams regularly in the
bay and is maintained to standards worthy of her aristocratic heritage. When her steel hull was wearing thin in the 1980s, it was reinforced by a Coast Guard approved plastic coating which ha$ held up well through annual USCG inspections. This mode of restoration preserves her original plating and Scottish workmanship. A similar treatment may be adopted for the Berkeley when her time comes for hull renewal. The best news is that with heavy public attendance, active educational programs and the excellent state of preservation of three historic ships, the museum is in strong financial shape to face the future, thanks largely to earned revenues, donated services, an enthusiastic corps of 360 volunteers, and an active, growing membership of 1900. This museum and its ships are maritime preservation at its stellar best. J, This article was preparedfrom informa tion provided by the San Diego Maritime Mus eum and from Peter Stanford's visit to San Diego in August.
Medea steams in San Diego Bay. (Photo by Bob Grieser)
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