Mare Island welcomes the Balclutha
It’s the third of five historic vessels that will be in Vallejo while San Francisco’s Hyde Street Pier is replaced
By Brendan Riley, Vallejo Times Herald, April 16th, 2025
The 1886 sailing ship Balclutha tied up at Mare Island on Wednesday – the third of five historic vessels to be towed from the National Park Service’s Hyde Street Pier in San Francisco to the former Navy shipyard that will be their new homeport for several years.
The three-masted, steel-hulled Balclutha, 301 feet long from bowsprit to stern, was towed by a powerful tug about 24 miles across San Francisco Bay and San Pablo Bay north to Mare Island. The tow took about five hours, with the first mooring line over on the Mare Island seawall at 5:36 p.m.
The iconic Balclutha is the “flagship” of the NPS ships, comprising the largest fleet of historic vessels on the West Coast. They will remain at Mare Island, across the Napa River from Vallejo, while the deteriorated Hyde Street Pier is replaced. Work on the pier has not yet started.
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The 301 feet long 1886 sailing ship Balclutha arrived in Vallejo and docked just as the Vallejo Yacht Club started their Wednesday night sailboat race. The ship is one of five historic vessels to be towed from the National Park Service’s Hyde Street Pier in San Francisco to Vallejo as the pier is renovated. (Chris Riley/Times-Herald)