Towse: views from the hill » ships

Sunrise this morning. A surprise visitor.

Towse — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 00:11:16 +0000

The first photo is a sunrise image on a perfect day with Mount Diablo in the background. A flash of something white to my left distracted me and I discovered the Sea Princess had snuck in overnight. Perfect day for our visitors, who will be leaving on the evening tide. Last photograph shows the ship an hour or so later.

Carnival Splendor now docked at P35

Towse — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 23:11:53 +0000

The Carnival Splendor, she of the ill-fated Mexican cruise last fall, has been in dry-dock at P70 since 31Jan for needed engine repairs.

Three weeks and $8-$9m later, the repairs appear to be complete as the ship moved from P70 to P35 today for final work before it heads off on its next cruise.

Congrats to the folks at BAE Systems for finishing the huge project.

Busy day on the Bay

Towse — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 23:42:45 +0000

Busy day in front of our perch. Traffic jam on the Bay: the usual ferries and sailboats plus the Rocket Boat and container ships AND the ISLAND PRINCESS docked this morning at P27. The USS MAKIN ISLAND (LHD8) came in to P30/32 with a fireboat splashing a welcoming spray. The ISLAND PRINCESS and the NORWEGIAN STAR (P35) have now gone with the tides. More US Navy and Canadian Navy ships expected in port soon for Fleet Week.

October 6th! A celebration!

Towse — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 23:21:32 +0000

Can you see this?

Can you see what I'm seeing?

Now can you see what I'm seeing?

Found on the Port site — when I was checking to see what line sailed the Zuiderdam, currently docked at P27, down the hill — was this announcement:

San Francisco will celebrate the inaugural connection of a cruise ship to shoreside electrical power on Wednesday, October 6, 2010, at 11:00 AM, at Pier 27.

Please mark your calendars.

… which means that cruise ships docked at P27 will no longer have to keep their engines running, and spewing crap into our air, to have electricity while they’re in port. Hooray!

(The Zuiderdam, for those interested, is a Holland America Line ship.)

The General John Pope leaves for Texas

Towse — Tue, 18 May 2010 22:56:59 +0000

This is the General John Pope, “the very last troopship to sail from San Francisco,” as Carl Nolte (may he write for years to come) wrote in his Sunday column earlier this month.

In Texas, the ship will be scrapped. And there goes a bit of history.

The Kaiwo Maru sets sail.

Towse — Mon, 10 May 2010 00:15:00 +0000

Cadets in the rigging

Rising Sun flying

Ceremonial farewell from one of the SFFD fireboats

Next stop, Honolulu.

Busy times at Pier 27

Towse — Thu, 06 May 2010 19:43:32 +0000

The Kaiwo Maru arrived yesterday and will be moored at P27 until Sunday.

Kaiwo Maru - Japanese four-masted barque

Looks pretty all lit up at night.

Kaiwo Maru as sun sets

Earlier in the week the Golden Bear was here overnight for “a California Maritime Academy alumni reception.” Ah, those receptions. …

California Bear arrives with the tidal bore. 02 May 2010

And for a couple days before that the F/V Frosti was moored at P27. Current task, roaming from San Francisco to San Diego surveying sardines for CalCOFI.

All-in-all a very busy time for the pier.

The fog burns off … a rust bucket appears

Towse — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 20:40:00 +0000

The fog was burning off this morning, after a morning much like the ones we’ve been having lately. If it’s not raining, it is =really= foggy in the morning and then the fog burns off and around 11A or noon we are left with a sunshiney blue day.

I was taking photos of the fog burning off … the Ferry Building. … 10:31A

The SFO Bay Bridge. … 10:49A

About an hour later, the fog was mostly gone and one of the old military ships from the mothball fleet in Suisun Bay, near Vallejo, appeared, dragged fore, with two tugs tailing aft, headed to have its barnacles and paint scraped before it’s hauled away to be scrapped.

Rust bucket. 11:42A

Cheers, to our Canadian visitors. Bon voyage!

Towse — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 18:48:00 +0000

Lucky ship …

Towse — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 07:04:00 +0000

Horizon Falcon at the end of the rainbow. [26 Jan 2010]