Balclutha

 

NPS/J.Woerner

A Ship Merging Industrial and Traditional Maritime Technologies

Built in 1886 at the Charles Connell & Co. Ltd. shipyard near Glasgow, Scotland, Balclutha wasa full-rigged, three-masted full rigged ship designed for long distance cargo trading. This included San Francisco California on several occasions, including its first three voyages. Constructed with traditional wind-powered propulsion, Balclutha also represented industrial maritime innovation by utilizing iron and steel in its hull. As a general cargo vessel Balclutha averaged no more than 30 crew, who managed the complex rigging and dozens of sails required to keep the vessel under control. Balclutha completed navigation through the treacherous waters around Cape Horn, at the southern tip of South America, 17 times, more than earning the nickname name given to its generation of ships. That of being a Cape Horner.

 

Balclutha Quick Facts

Length: 256.50 feet
Beam: 38.65 feet
Depth of Hold: 22.75 feet
Gross Tonnage (as built): 1689.30

 

The ringed portraits of Captain Constable and the original, multicultural Balclutha crew, taken on San Francisco Bay in June, 1887 during Balclutha’s maiden voyage.

1st Career (1887-1899): Grain & Cargo

California experienced two distinct "Gold Rushes": the first (1848-1855), driven by the allure of gold, and the second (1855-1910), fueled by the rise of agriculture, particularly wheat farming across the fertile valley floors. Grain harvested from the fields was hauled in horse-drawn wagons to the Sacramento and San Joaquin River landings, where steam-powered sternwheelers and railroad boxcars carried the precious cargo to Port Costa. There, large ocean-going ships, bound for ports in Britain and Europe, were docked and ready to load. The state's booming grain industry transformed its economy, attracting British vessels by the hundreds each year, all passing through the Golden Gate into the San Francisco Bay.

On January 15, 1887, Balclutha embarked on its maiden voyage from Cardiff, Wales, to San Francisco with a crew of 26 men—a journey that would take 140 days including navigating around Cape Horn. Upon arriving at the Golden Gate, Balclutha unloaded 2,650 tons of coal and took on a new cargo of California wheat. Balclutha made many trips in the Europe-San Francisco grain trade and under Captain Durkee from 1893 -1899, made many trips from San Francisco to India to acquire both jute bags to store grain and jute to be used locally.

The demand for grain sacks alone contributed $2 million per year to the local economy in California as Chinese workers in California wove the sacks from jute imported from Calcutta, charging growers 10-15 cents each. In 1899, during Balclutha’s final voyage in its first career, Captain Durkee’s wife, Alice, gave birth to their daughter, Inda Frances Durkee, on the Indian Ocean with the help of an Indian midwife. Shortly after, Balclutha changed careers.

 

2nd Career (1899-1902): Lumber for Coal

In 1899, Balclutha was transferred to the Registry of Hawaii where it joined the bustling Pacific Coast lumber trade. For three years the ship sailed north to Puget Sound, Washington, and then across to Australia. Much of the 1.5 million board feet of lumber she could carry ended up underground where it was used for mining timbers in the Broken Hill Mine. Balclutha docked at Port Pirie, South Australia, where the timbers were unloaded and transported 250 miles inland to Broken Hill.

Balclutha was the last vessel to fly the flag of the Hawaiian Kingdom. In 1901 a special act of the United States Congress admitted the ship to the American registry so that she could engage in "coastwise" trade (i.e. between American ports). Soon thereafter, the Alaska Packers Association, a San Francisco firm which harvested and canned salmon, chartered her to carry men and supplies north – to Alaska.

 

When the full rigged Balclutha was a member of the Alaska Packer's Association in the early 1900s, she was named the Star of Alaska. Here she is underway with some of her squaresails and staysails set.

3rd Career (1902 - 1930): Salmon Packer

In 1904, when Balclutha ran aground, the Alaska Packers Association seized the opportunity to acquire it for a mere $500. After thorough repairs, the ship was rechristened Star of Alaska.

During its years as a vital part of the salmon packing industry, the Star of Alaska sailed up the West Coast from Alameda, California, delivering supplies and transporting cannery workers. Each April, it anchored in Chignik Bay, Alaska, where the crew unloaded the supplies, and the workers settled into the company camp ashore. Only a few shipkeepers remained aboard. In early September, with its hold packed with cases of canned salmon, the Star of Alaska embarked on the 2,400-mile journey back to San Francisco Bay. Known for its speed, the Star of Alaska averaged just over 22 days for the northward trip and only 15 days on the return.

During the winter, the ship was laid up alongside the rest of the Alaska Packers Association's fleet of over 30 vessels in Alameda, where skilled shipwrights carried out essential maintenance and renovations. In 1911, the poop deck was extended to accommodate Italian and Scandinavian fishermen, and later, additional bunks were added to the 'tween deck for Chinese cannery workers. As the Star of Alaska, the ship regularly carried over 200 men on its northern voyages. The Alaska Packers Association retired most of its fleet by1930 except for the Star of Alaska which was the only sailing ship the Packers sent north in 1930. When it returned in September 1930, Star of Alaska, too, was retired.

 

4th Career (1933 - 1954): Movie Star

In 1933, Frank and Rose Kissinger acquired the Star of Alaska for $5,000, renaming it the Pacific Queen. The Kissingers brought the ship to Southern California, where it starred in the film Mutiny on the Bounty while anchored off Catalina Island. For a time, the Pacific Queen toured the West Coast as a "pirate ship," captivating crowds with its adventurous allure. Eventually, the ship was docked at Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco, where it was opened to the public and became a popular attraction. However, in 1941, with the onset of World War II (WWII) and the need for space for cargo vessels, the Pacific Queen was towed to South San Francisco and later to Sausalito. As the years passed, the Pacific Queen succumbed to rust and gradual decay. During WWII, it narrowly avoided being scrapped for metal, surviving a close call with the wrecking yard.

 

5th Career: Restoration and Museum

In 1954 the San Francisco Maritime Museum, headed by Karl Kortum and Alma Spreckles, purchased Pacific Queen for $25,000. Assisted by donations of cash, materials and labor from the local community, the Museum restored the vessel and returned it to its original name and glory with the help of the granddaughter of Inda Frances Durkee, Inda Dunn. The ship was transferred to the National Park Service in 1978, and Balclutha was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1985. Over the years, Balclutha has been steadily restored to its former glory including exhibits throughout the ship and on the tween decks to show its careers and the life different crewmembers endured.