Master craftsman works in the Model Shop of the Maritime Museum of San Diego. The magical place is located inside the steam ferry Berkeley.
Who isn’t fascinated by small model ships? Every one is a unique work of art, built with precision down to the finest detail. A realistic historical model ship represents real stories, real lives, real adventures.
Visitors to the Maritime Museum of San Diego are often seen lingering by the Model Shop, gazing through the window as master craftsmen spend countless joyful hours building amazing small ships. It’s a hobby that can trace its origins to ancient times.
I recently learned that several craftsmen use the museum’s Model Shop, including one young man in high school. The tradition of model ship building is being carried into the future by skilled and steady hands.
Ship and yacht model construction and repair. Sign beneath a window where museum visitors can watch craftsmen building small works of maritime art.Many fine tools required in the building of model ships can be seen in the workshop.Of course, there are ships in bottles, too!A finished model of ARMD Virginia Sloop 1768 intricately made to replicate an actual historical vessel.Master craftsman at the Maritime Museum of San Diego is building a small Danish fishing vessel. He works from detailed plans.
I peered into the Model Shop window during a later visit and look what I saw…
Detailed model of Sovereign of the Seas, a 17th century English Navy warship, is under repair at the Maritime Museum of San Diego.
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Tall ship Californian fires a cannon toward the Maritime Museum of San Diego during the 2016 Festival of Sail!
I took a fair number of photos at the 2016 Festival of Sail today. The celebration of tall ships, which takes place at the Maritime Museum of San Diego during Labor Day weekend, is just as wonderful as ever. I suppose I’m biased. I’ve always loved tales of the sea and stories of rugged souls who have embarked on journeys of discovery.
The Festival of Sail this year includes 19 ships. Many have arrived for this event from locations up and down the West Coast.
I blogged about the annual Festival of Sail the last couple of years, so this time I won’t provide heaps of information. Just a sense of what it’s like to wander among the beautiful and amazing ships, and to watch them out sailing on San Diego Bay. Remember–this awesome event continues through Labor Day!
The 2016 Festival of Sail includes dueling tall ships out on San Diego Bay. Here we see Californian and Bill of Rights maneuvering to fire some broadsides.Out on the Big Bay and along the Embarcadero, many beautiful sailing ships are part of this year’s annual Festival of Sail in San Diego.Mister Mac, that notorious pirate, has descended on San Diego with two rascally accomplices to wreak havoc.The tall ship Spirit of Dana Point is a replica of a 1770s privateer used during the American Revolution. It is based at the Ocean Institute up the coast in Dana Point, California.Figurehead of the Spirit of Dana Point is a Native American female.The graceful brigantines Exy Johnson and Irving Johnson have returned for this year’s Festival of Sail. They are based at the Los Angeles Maritime Institute.Volunteer crewmember aboard the Exy Johnson tells a visitor about the complex workings of an amazing tall ship with many sails.Visitors to the 2016 Festival of Sail in San Diego learned about maritime history and experienced a little of what life might have been like sailing across the broad ocean on a tall ship long ago.These Royal Marines belong to the HMS Surprise, docked just behind them. They’re enjoying a bit of grog. Don’t tell the captain!Visitor standing on the newly rebuilt poop deck of the Star of India rings the historic ship’s bell. The wheel has been removed for refurbishment. The nearby binnacle and wooden benches will also be made like new!The Tiama and Cloudia were docked side by side not far from the Maritime Museum of San Diego during the 2016 Festival of Sail.The Cloudia is an old wooden Norwegian top-sail ketch recently restored in San Diego. I believe it is available for local sailing trips.There is so much to look at and explore! What’s down below the deck?Docked behind the Maritime Museum’s steam ferry Berkeley, the galleon replica San Salvador made its public debut during the 2016 Festival of Sail.Visitors line up to have a chance to go aboard San Salvador for the very first time.Looking up at masts, a crow’s nest, and a flag of the Spanish Empire while waiting to board the San Salvador. This ship is an approximate replica of what Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo sailed in when he discovered San Diego Bay in 1542.A park ranger from Cabrillo National Monument, across the bay on Point Loma, talks to visitors about the history of the actual San Salvador and the difficulties of sailing long ago.Once aboard the replica San Salvador, we were permitted to explore the main deck and enclosed areas at either end. It’s hard to believe, but during the journey of exploration in 1542, over 100 men occupied a similarly tiny deck!Ropes and a bombard tucked away inside the forward part of the galleon San Salvador.Exhibits on the San Salvador replica galleon include a crude narrow dining table and armor used by Spanish conquistadors.Out at the end of the Maritime Museum of San Diego’s dock, three cannons are prepared to be fired!Boom!Californian sails in toward its docking place near the San Salvador. More cannon battles out on San Diego Bay will take place all Labor Day weekend!
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Getting ready for the 2016 US Sand Sculpting Challenge and 3D Art Expo at the B Street Pier. A cool sand sculpture will soon appear here to welcome passing Labor Day crowds on the Embarcadero.
Two epic events are coming to San Diego’s Embarcadero this coming Labor Day weekend! The 2016 US Sand Sculpting Challenge and 3D Art Expo, which will take place near the Cruise Ship Terminal on the B Street Pier, and the 2016 Festival of Sail, which will take place at and around the Maritime Museum of San Diego!
I’ve blogged about both amazing annual events the past couple years. The sand sculptures, created by some of the best sand artists in the entire world, are utterly mind-blowing. The tall ships are a feast not only for the eyes, but for the senses once you step aboard.
I took a slow easy walk along the Embarcadero a short while ago and snapped a few pics of very early preparation for both events. If I feel well enough next weekend, expect to see lots of super cool photos from both epic Labor Day weekend events!
One of several U.S. Navy floating docks has been set in position near the Maritime Museum of San Diego, in preparation for visiting tall ships at the 2016 Festival of Sail.Californian, the official tall ship of California, will participate in the 2016 Festival of Sail this coming Labor Day weekend. Right now she is docked at the Maritime Museum, her home.Gaff-rigged topsail schooner Bill of Rights, based in South Bay’s Chula Vista, will be one of many amazing tall ships participating this year in the Festival of Sail. I spotted it cruising across San Diego Bay today.Visitor to the Maritime Museum of San Diego sits peacefully on a bench near the aft of the 1904 steam yacht Medea. Big crowds will arrive here on Labor Day weekend!The 2016 Festival of Sail takes place Labor Day weekend on the Embarcadero. If you are in San Diego and love historical ships, you must go!
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To the Brink of WAR. A sound and light exhibit at the Maritime Museum of San Diego based on a true Cold War event during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
A fantastic exhibit recently opened at the Maritime Museum of San Diego. You’ll find it aboard their B-39 Foxtrot-class Soviet submarine. The exhibit, using videos, a light show and other exciting effects, tells the story of how one man likely saved the world.
At the height of the Cold War, during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, a Soviet commander on the B-59, another Foxtrot-class submarine, spoke a few cautious words. Those words might have averted World War III and worldwide nuclear destruction.
The B-59 was one of four Soviet submarines that were sent to the Caribbean Sea to support ships delivering arms to Cuba. In October of 1962 the B-59 was detected by the United States, and Navy destroyers began dropping the sort of depth charges that are used for training–practice depth charges with very little explosive impact. It was the US Navy’s intention to have the sub surface in order to gain positive identification.
Aboard the B-59, however, batteries were running critically low, the air-conditioning had ceased working, and if the submarine didn’t surface eventually the crew would perish. They hadn’t had radio communication with Moscow for several days. The captain of the submarine, Valentin Grigorievitch Savitsky, believed that war had probably begun. He wanted to launch their T-5 nuclear torpedo at the USS Randolph aircraft carrier.
The exhibit inside the Maritime Museum of San Diego’s Foxtrot-class Soviet submarine allows visitors to relive those tense moments. They’ll hear how sub-flotilla commander Vasili Arkhipov, also on the B-59, reasoned that a conflict might not have started, and that firing their “Special Weapon” nuclear torpedo would certainly result in World War III. His calm words of council prevailed, the sub surfaced peacefully, and today visitors to the museum can appreciate his level-headed wisdom, and the extreme pressure that the crew of the B-59 felt on that fateful day.
Anyone visiting the exhibit should be prepared for very close quarters. Ducking and engaging in a variety of pretzel-like contortions while moving along the length of the submarine, one can appreciate how life must have been as a crewmember, even under normal circumstances. It’s definitely not a place for those who have claustrophobia!
Here are a few photos that give you a taste of what you’ll experience. Of course, enjoying the exhibit in person is a thousand times more interesting!
This man might have literally saved the world. Vasili Arkhipov argued against the B-59 captain’s determination to fire a nuclear torpedo against the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Randolph.Today, the Maritime Museum of San Diego’s B-39 Foxtrot-class Soviet submarine allows visitors to see what sub warfare was like during the Cold War, and to relive the crisis.Many signs containing interesting info can be read before boarding the B-39.Sign provides some details about the B-39. It could cruise 20,000 miles on diesel-electric power. It was built in Leningrad. It’s design was generally based on late World War II German u-boats.Life aboard a Foxtrot-class Soviet submarine is briefly described. Duty aboard a Foxtrot was not considered bad, but was often quite boring.Sign shows main parts of the museum’s current Cuban Missile Crisis exhibit. Inside the sub, one must nimbly climb through rather small circular openings!I’ve ascended the gangway and I’m standing forward of the submarine’s sail (or fin). I’ll enter the forward torpedo room via some steps behind me.Enter Here! And prepare to relive a tense moment in history, when the future of humankind teetered on the brink.Just inside the old Soviet sub. There’s a video explaining the Cold War and beginning of the Cuban Missile Crisis, and many signs nearby. The B-59 was armed with a Special Weapon: one nuclear torpedo.This museum torpedo represents what the B-59 Foxtrot carried back in 1962. A purple tip meant a particular torpedo had a nuclear warhead.You might note this torpedo has a purple tip! To fire a nuclear weapon during the Cuban Missile Crisis would have certainly resulted in World War III.A Hair’s Breadth from Nuclear War. President John F. Kennedy dealt with an extremely difficult crisis. Common sense, decisive action–and possibly some luck–helped the world avoid catastrophe.It’s no easy feat going from one section of the sub to another! A visitor is about to head into a narrow corridor en route to the Control Room.Heading through the Foxtrot-class Soviet submarine. Tiny rooms on either side include the Captain’s Cabin, the Officer’s Wardroom, and Medical Exam Room.A look into the Electronic Officer Cabin.The sonar room was critical to the safety of the submarine. Without sonar, the underwater vessel had no eyes.A photo of equipment in one corner of the sonar room.Into the Main Control Room we go, the scene of a sound and light show reenacting those tense minutes before the B-59 chose to surface peacefully without firing their nuclear torpedo.Signs throughout the Maritime Museum of San Diego’s Cuban Missile Crisis exhibit help visitors understand their position in the Foxtrot submarine.Photo includes the Foxtrot’s helm, where a Soviet sailor steered the submarine by moving a lever left and right.Visitor inside the Maritime Museum of San Diego’s B-39 submarine looks through the periscope. Red lights come on as depth charges are heard. A fateful decision must be quickly made.Voices from nearby speakers reenact tense discussions, then orders to the crew. The submarine captain wished to fire a nuclear torpedo; the level-headed flotilla commander convinced him not to.We’ve left the Control Room and are continuing along the center of the submarine. Here’s part of the galley. The crew ate well by Soviet standards–better than most ordinary citizens.More knobs, switches, levers, buttons, dials, gauges and whatnot on the way to the Engine Room.The engine room contains three turbo diesel engines that each put out 2000 horsepower. They drove three shafts connected to six-blade propellers.Another photo inside the museum’s B-39 engine room. During the 1962 events, the B-59’s batteries were low and the air conditioning had failed. Their hot engine room must have been intolerable.Now we’re heading to the Motor Control Room.Bunks for Enlisted Ratings line the corridor. These were shared by the crew and in constant use. No room to spare!A very tight squeeze!And finally we’ve made our way into the After Torpedo Room, where visitors can watch a concluding video documentary. After surfacing peacefully, the B-59 eventually re-submerged and vanished.School students left notes. It seems most really liked the tour! It’s not every day one can see the interior of a Cold War Soviet submarine!Climbing back out of the B-39 Foxtrot-class Soviet submarine, one of many historic vessels that are part of the Maritime Museum of San Diego.
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Youth play soccer in San Diego’s Waterfront Park. They are competing today in the Neymar Fives Soccer Tournament. World champs get to meet the Brazilian superstar.
As usual, my walk today provoked a whole range of feelings. The four simple words: Play, Work, Sadness, Time . . . they describe a few photos that I took.
Those basic words we all understand.
Scrambling for the ball. Joy in movement, camaraderie, friendly competition. Youthful ambitions.Neymar Jr.’s Five soccer competition includes amateur teams from more than 35 countries.Recreation on the green grass, one promising San Diego morning.Strolling down the Embarcadero. Pirate Days is coming to the Maritime Museum of San Diego. Let the invasion begin!Containing many pleasures, the gleaming Disney Wonder cruise ship is docked in San Diego. Seen from the deck of the very old Star of India, where countless lives have been tossed by difficult seas.Volunteer on Star of India is preparing to hoist this plastic cap up to the top of the foremast, which is open and exposed to the eternal elements.Other volunteers are working hard atop the forecastle. Ships require constant work, constant attention and care.Climbing carefully up to the very top of the foremast to apply a protective cap, to prevent exposed iron from rusting, decaying.A writer sat here. Words purposefully put down . . . or discarded . . . or forgotten. Many thoughts lie alone by a bench near the water.The hands of a sleeping homeless man.Time-faded monkeys still cling to the wall of a parking garage on Laurel Street.
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Do you like to read short pieces of thought-provoking fiction? You might enjoy checking out Short Stories by Richard.
Visitors and members of the Maritime Museum of San Diego enjoy a spring Sunday aboard HMS Surprise. The Star of India’s masts rise in the background.
A sunny spring Sunday. So I just walked along the Embarcadero. To no place in particular. I started late this morning at the Maritime Museum of San Diego, where Earth Day on the Bay was taking place. I checked out the exhibits for a few minutes, talked to a few cool people, then walked around outside. And I just kept on walking. Life is good on San Diego Bay.
Today was Earth Day on the Bay at the Maritime Museum of San Diego. Exhibitors on the passenger deck of the steam ferry Berkeley demonstrated the work they’re undertaking to protect the environment.It’s Sunday, which is volunteer work day at the Maritime Museum. If I heard correctly, these guys near the San Salvador were applying tar to some steel cables that will be used on the HMS Surprise.Two parrots on the Pearl Harbor memorial plaque near the USS Midway.
In the above photo you can see the rear of the Navy Bicentennial Commemorative Plaque. As you might recall, that plaque’s mysterious origin was revealed in detail by a few of its creators here!
Some folks out fishing on the Tuna Harbor pier were catching spotted seabass! This one was too small and was quickly returned to San Diego Bay.This sneaky gull perched atop a docked bait boat seemed to be watching those folks fishing nearby!Someone zooms by riding a bucking water scooter over the sparkling blue water.Close-up photo of a colorful float inside a lobster trap. I just walked along the pier, looking out at boats, water and the beautiful San Diego skyline.Skaters take a break in the sunshine near Tuna Harbor.Someone relaxes on a spring Sunday by maneuvering a remote control model sailboat in Tuna Harbor. Another cool sight along San Diego’s always lively Embarcadero.Fun marine artwork depicts a pod of dolphins in the ocean. A window of the Wyland Galleries in Seaport Village.Colorful banner fluttering in the sea breeze proclaims Life is Good. I always enjoy walking past Alamo Flags in Seaport Village.Just some bright yellow flowers.A street magician, cyclists, and the Californian tall ship out on San Diego Bay.Papa Alex is a very friendly, happy, soulful psychic. He often hangs out between Seaport Village and Embarcadero Marina Park North. His motto is: “Peace and love. No drama.” Sounds wise to me!Wow! Look at those massive bubbles flying through the air! This fun could be found on the grass at Embarcadero Marina Park North.And high above those bubbles was this kite. I love San Diego.Tourists rent some wheels near the Marriott Marquis and Marina.I rested for a bit on the fishing pier at Embarcadero Marina Park South. Here comes the Stars and Stripes racing yacht, carrying passengers enjoying a unique adventure on the Big Bay.And there goes the Silvergate, ferrying people over to Coronado Island. What a glorious spring day!
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San Diego’s famous Star of India–the oldest active sailing ship in the world–is having its decks replaced. First up is the poop deck. Work has just begun.
Today I boarded the Maritime Museum of San Diego’s world-famous Star of India. The lady in the ticket booth informed me that the deck replacement began about a week or so ago!
You might remember I blogged about the Star of India’s deck replacement effort here. Click the link to check out that post, and you can see how the poop deck appeared before work began.
A nice docent allowed me to walk up the steps almost to the poop deck so I could get a good photograph. As you can see, the first section of the deck has been removed. I also noted that the saloon underneath has been carefully converted into a work area.
Do you love history or San Diego? Please click here to help with this very important project!
The historic ship’s elegant saloon has become a work area during the deck replacement.Gazing up through a big hole in the ceiling! The new, stronger deck will be built using sophisticated techniques and modern materials, but it will visually appear like the original.
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The catamaran Aolani sails behind the Maritime Museum of San Diego just before sunset.
A few photos from my short walk after work. I strolled along the Embarcadero and visited the Maritime Museum of San Diego, one of my favorite places. The sun was setting…
Tourists walk among many historic boats and ships behind the steam ferry Berkeley. The racing sloop Butcher Boy is over a hundred years old. It sailed rapidly out on the bay, always first to provide fresh provisions to visiting ships.School students learn how to handle an oar, before heading out on San Diego Bay in a museum longboat.Sun gently falls behind the picturesque deck and rigging of HMS Surprise.A winter sunset paints the sky behind the B-39 Soviet submarine and the masts of several ships, including Californian, San Salvador and America.HMS Surprise, steam ferry Berkeley, and a beautiful sky.A soft sunset and still water. Nightfall on San Diego Bay.
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Volunteers at the Maritime Museum of San Diego haul a rope on the deck of Star of India to help raise a protective tarp above the historic ship.
Sunday is volunteer work day at the Maritime Museum of San Diego. Anyone walking along the Embarcadero or visiting the museum can watch history being preserved by energetic volunteers. You can see them pulling ropes, painting masts, scraping, polishing, sweeping and just generally doing all those things necessary to maintain historic old ships.
The Maritime Museum of San Diego could always use new volunteers! No experience required! You mostly work out on the sparkling water, in the sunshine, with senses full of invigorating smells, sights and sounds. And know what? You become a part of history!
Large plastic canopies are being installed on the Star of India to protect her from rain during the upcoming deck restoration.The Star of India’s re-decking project is being supported in part by a National Maritime Heritage grant administered by the National Park Service, Department of the Interior.Another volunteer works near the bow of the historic tall ship. Downtown San Diego’s skyline provides a gleaming backdrop.These guys are working above the forward house near the foremast.A mast of the HMS Surprise has been scraped and coated with primer. Now some paint will preserve this amazing tall ship used in the movie Master and Commander.Another yard to be installed on the San Salvador by crane awaits on the Embarcadero. This heavy yard with sails furled will be supported by the replica Spanish galleon’s foremast.Volunteering for the Maritime Museum of San Diego can be very satisfying. Are you free on Sundays?
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Illuminating the Sea: The Marine Paintings of James E. Buttersworth, 1817-1894. This very special exhibit can be seen at the Maritime Museum of San Diego!
Do you love breathtaking works of fine art? Are you fascinated by 19th century history? Do you like to feast your eyes on beautiful tall ships, sailing yachts and ocean scenery? There’s a special exhibit in San Diego that you positively must see!
I was surprised to discover that the Maritime Museum of San Diego, located downtown on the Embarcadero, is featuring a fantastic exhibit of marine art masterpieces by the famous painter James Edward Buttersworth. Buttersworth is considered to be one of the most important painters of the nineteenth century. His portraits of tall ships, racing yachts, steamships and other vessels from that era are beautiful works of genius, resplendent with light, energy and grace. About 600 of his classic paintings exist today, and the Maritime Museum has 24 amazing examples on display!
The exhibition is titled “Illuminating the Sea: The Marine Paintings of James E. Buttersworth, 1817-1894.” The collected paintings, on loan from Mystic Seaport until May 31, 2016, are so dynamic, detailed and glowing with beauty, they’ll make a permanent impression in your mind. His images of sky and sea are realistic and alive. Colors are rich and subtle; stormy waters seem to spray off a painted canvas; white sails shine. Several paintings depict yachts racing together, engaged in historic competitions that include the America’s Cup, an event that became important in San Diego’s more recent past.
Another interesting aspect of the exhibition is the inclusion of a modern Buttersworth forgery by Ken Perenyi. Visitors to the museum can become a detective, and do their best to uncover the cleverly made fake!
Go enjoy this exhibit of rare, fantastic paintings, then prepare to spend a good hour or two exploring the many historic ships owned by the Maritime Museum of San Diego. You’ll find yourself within a magical world. A world that gently floats upon shining water, alive with history, adventure, beauty and wonder!
Among the classic maritime paintings of world-famous artist James E. Butterworth is a forgery. Visitors to the museum are challenged to spot it!Truly stunning works of art on display inside the steam ferryboat Berkeley, hub of the Maritime Museum of San Diego.Illuminating the Sea, James E. Butterworth, oil on canvas. Magic, schooner of New York Yacht Club, winner of the America’s Cup in 1870. Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons.In addition to this world-class art, the Maritime Museum of San Diego contains a vast collection of nautical objects. It is a must-see destination for those interested in our city’s rich history.
Here are a couple bonus photographs! I took them this morning during a short walk before heading to work!
Museum volunteers gather around a ship’s yard. It would soon be lifted by crane onto the nearly-completed Spanish galleon replica San Salvador.Tall ships San Salvador and Californian docked behind the Berkeley. Just a few of the fascinating ships you can visit at the Maritime Museum of San Diego.
Cool San Diego Sights! 