View source for Eureka (ferryboat)

{{Short description|Side-wheel paddle steamboat, built in 1890}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2014}}

{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
|+''Eureka''
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image= Eureka-1.jpg
|Ship caption=''Eureka'' docked at [[Hyde Street Pier]], 2012
}}
{{Infobox ship career
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|Ship country= United States
|Ship flag= {{USN flag|1958}} 
|Ship name=*''Ukiah'' (1890–1922)
*''Eureka'' (1922–present)
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|Ship builder=[[San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad]], [[Tiburon, California]]
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|Ship in service=1890–1958
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|Ship refit=1920–22
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|Ship status= [[Museum ship]]
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{{Infobox ship characteristics
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|Header caption=<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.nps.gov/safr/historyculture/eureka.htm |title=Eureka  |work=[[San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park]] |publisher=[[National Park Service]] |access-date=August 6, 2012}}</ref>
|Ship class= 
|Ship type=[[Steamboat]]
|Ship tonnage={{GT|2,420}}
|Ship displacement= 
|Ship length={{convert|299|ft|6|in|abbr=on}} [[Length overall|LOA]] 
|Ship beam={{convert|78|ft|abbr=on}} 
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|Ship draft= {{cvt|6|ft|6|in}} 
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|Ship propulsion=1 × {{convert|1500|hp|0|abbr=on}} [[walking beam engine]]
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|Ship capacity= {{ubl|''Original:''|&mdash;500 passengers|&mdash;16 railroad cars|''From 1922:''|&mdash;2,300 passengers|&mdash;120 automobiles}} 
|Ship crew= 16 
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}}
{{Infobox NRHP
|embed=yes
|name=''Eureka'' (double-ended ferry)
|nrhp_type=nhl
|image=Eureka (steam ferryboat, San Francisco).JPG
|caption=View from port stern
|image_size=300
|location=[[San Francisco, California]]
|coordinates = {{coord|37|48|35|N|122|25|18|W|display=inline,title}}
|locmapin=USA California
|locmap_relief=1
|map_width=220
|area=
|built=1890
|designated_nrhp_type=February 4, 1985<ref name="nhlsum">
 {{cite web
 |url=http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=1312&ResourceType=Structure
 |title=Eureka (ferryboat)
 |access-date=June 17, 2008
 |work=National Historic Landmarks Program
 |publisher=National Park Service
 }}</ref>
|added=April 24, 1973
|refnum=73000229<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|2006a}}</ref>
}}
|}
'''''Eureka''''' is a side-wheel [[Paddle steamer|paddle steamboat]], built in 1890, which is now preserved at the [[San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park]] in [[San Francisco, California|San Francisco]], [[California]]. Originally named ''Ukiah'' to commemorate the railway's recent extension into the [[Ukiah, California|City of Ukiah]], the boat was built by the San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad Company at their Tiburon yard. ''Eureka'' has been designated a [[National Historic Landmark]] and was listed in the [[National Register of Historic Places]] on April 24, 1973.<ref name=nris/>

She is the largest existing [[wood]]en [[ship]] in the world.

== Construction and design ==

''Ukiah'', a wooden-[[hull (watercraft)|hulled]], double-ended ferryboat, was built in 1890 by the San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad Company at their Tiburon shipyard. She had a length at the [[waterline]] of {{convert|277|ft}} ({{convert|291|ft}} overall), beam of {{convert|47|ft|7|in}}&mdash;{{convert|78|ft}} over guards&mdash;and hold depth of {{convert|15|ft}}.<ref name=mvus_1893>{{cite book |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title= Merchant Vessels of the United States |location= Washington |publisher= Bureau of Navigation |page= [https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uc1.b3330060?urlappend=%3Bseq=484 358] |date= 1893 |isbn=}}</ref>  Her original gross tonnage was 2,564 and net tonnage, 2,018 tons.<ref name=mvus_1893/> The ship had a crew of sixteen, whose quarters were in the [[hold (compartment)|hold]].

According to the National Register of Historic Places, ''Ukiah'' was originally built with a [[main deck]] for [[railroad car]]s and a second deck for passengers above. Numerous contemporaneous newspaper reports, however, state that both the passenger accommodations and railroad cars were located on the main deck.<ref name=morningcall_28dec1890>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title= Trial Trip of the Ukiah |url= https://newspaperarchive.com/other-articles-clipping-dec-28-1890-2462391/ |work= The Morning Call |location= San Francisco, CA |date= 1890-12-28 |page= 7 |via= Newspaperarchive.com}}{{Open access}}</ref> A broad stairway led from this deck to the [[promenade deck]] above, where the fore and aft [[pilot house]]s, along with [[cabin (ship)|stateroom]]s for the officers, were located. Rising from the promenade deck were also several smaller decks for sightseers, accessible only by ladder.<ref name=morningcall_28dec1890/>

Two standard-gauge [[railway track]]s, on which the railroad cars were transported, were installed the length of the main deck through the center of the ship. Passenger accommodations were located on either side, fore and aft of the paddleboxes, with one side of the ship reserved for female passengers and the other for males. The female side included a moveable partition around the paddlebox that allowed passengers to move between cabins in privacy; this partition could be folded up to make room for railroad cars when required. The passenger decorations on each side differed, with the men's featuring grained panelling, and the women's, "parti colors, with gilt moldings and beadings".<ref name=morningcall_28dec1890/> Floors on the ladies' side featured [[velvet]] carpets, while [[oilcloth]]s sufficed for the men. At each end of the passenger quarters were [[vestibule (architecture)|vestibule]]s, fitted with doors to prevent drafts. Seats throughout were built of semi-circular strips of [[list of plants known as cedar|cedar]] and [[black walnut]], separated by black walnut arms. The main deck also featured a [[bar (establishment)|bar]]&mdash;located near the engine&mdash;toilets and a restaurant. [[Joiner]]y work throughout the vessel was by Robert Bragg.<ref name=morningcall_28dec1890/>

''Ukiah'' was powered by a single-cylinder {{convert|1700|hp}} [[Marine steam engine#walking beam|vertical beam]] steam engine with a [[bore (engine)|bore]] of {{convert|65|in|cm}} and [[stroke (engine)|stroke]] of {{convert|12|ft}}, built by the Fulton Iron Works of San Francisco. The NRHP states that the ship was originally fitted with four direct flue return tube boilers; again, however, contemporaneous newspaper reports differ, stating that steam was originally supplied by two steel [[boiler]]s; these had a length of {{convert|25|ft}} and shell of {{convert|12|ft}}, and operated at a pressure of {{convert|60|psi|abbr=on|lk=on}}. ''Ukiah''{{'}}s [[paddlewheel]]s were {{convert|27|ft}} in diameter, and each fitted with 24 buckets having a width of {{convert|12|ft}}.<ref name=morningcall_28dec1890/><ref name=morningcall_19may1890>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title= The Ukiah |url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/78076416/ukiah-launch-may-1890/ |work= The Morning Call |location= San Francisco, CA |date= 1890-05-19 |page= 5 |via= Newspapers.com}}{{Open access}}</ref>

The ship was launched in [[San Francisco Bay]] on Saturday, May 17, 1890, at 10:40 pm, witnessed by a crowd of about 800 people, many of whom had arrived by a special train from [[San Rafael, California|San Rafael]].<ref name=morningcall_19may1890/>

== Service history ==

=== Early service ===

The ship originally carried people between San Francisco and [[Tiburon, California|Tiburon]] during the day and hauled railroad freight cars at night. On April 16, 1907, she sank at the foot of East Street, [[San Francisco]] due to errors in handling the off loading of railroad cars.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Kv1YAAAAYAAJ&dq=ukiah&pg=RA16-PA26 |title=American Marine Engineer May, 1907 |date=1906 |publisher=Unknown/Googlebooks |access-date=2 July 2024}}</ref> She was later raised. In 1907, ''Ukiah'' was re-routed to the [[Sausalito, California|Sausalito]]&ndash;[[San Francisco Ferry Building]] route by its new owners, [[Northwestern Pacific Railroad]].

[[Image:Eurekacabin.jpg|thumb|250px|left|View of the seating area on ''Eureka's'' upper deck. The magazine shop is visible to the right behind the glass. The restaurant was on this level at the far end of the deck]]

As automobiles became more common, motorists wanted to "drive across the bay". Since there were no bridges on [[San Francisco Bay]] at the time, ''Ukiah'' was able to meet this demand via a refitted lower deck designed to handle vehicles. The deck above (also enclosed) was expanded for passengers.

=== World War I and subsequent rebuild ===

During [[World War I]], ''Ukiah'' carried munition-filled rail cars for the war effort. Overloading of the ship caused hull strains so severe that the government paid for complete rebuilding of the ship. [[Shipwright]]s at the Southern Pacific yard labored for two years—eventually replacing all of its structure above the waterline. This kind of reconstruction was called "jacking up the whistle and sliding a new boat underneath."{{clarify|date=May 2021}} The refurbished ferry was christened ''Eureka'' in honor of the [[Eureka, California|Northern California city]], which also happened to be the new northern termination of the Northwestern Pacific Railroad.

As a passenger ferry, she could carry 2,300 passengers and 120 automobiles. At that time, she was the biggest and the fastest double-ended passenger ferry boat in the world—{{convert|299|ft|6|in}} long, with an extreme width of {{convert|78|ft}} and gross tonnage of 2,420 tons.{{clarify |reason=What kind of tons? |date=October 2012}}

=== 1920s through retirement ===

Between 1922 and 1941 ''Eureka'' was on the Sausalito commuter run. As the largest of the Northwestern boats, ''Eureka'' made the heaviest commuter trips - the 7:30 from Sausalito and the 5:15 from San Francisco. Each trip averaged 2,200 passengers. During this period the upper deck included seating areas, a magazine stand, and a restaurant that served full meals.

Eureka was primarily a passenger boat, carrying very few cars. After 1929, though, she sometimes made an extra run from the [[Hyde Street Pier]] in San Francisco, carrying autos on Sundays.

Completion of the [[Golden Gate Bridge]] between [[San Francisco]] and [[Marin County, California|Marin]] in 1937 doomed ferry service. Northwestern Pacific first cut service, then abandoned ferries altogether in 1941.

During the war years, ''Eureka'' joined a number of bay ferries in the work of transporting troops from [[Camp Stoneman]] in [[Pittsburg, California]], up the [[Sacramento River]], to the port of embarkation piers in San Francisco.{{clarify |reason=Up river? |date=October 2012}}

By the 1950s ''Eureka'' served by linking [[Southern Pacific Railroad|Southern Pacific's]] cross-country trains, which terminated at [[Oakland, California|Oakland]], with San Francisco until 1957, when she snapped an engine crank pin. That service was discontinued the following year. In 1958, ''Eureka'' joined the fleet of historic ships now at the National Historical Park.

In the late 1990s she was used as a main filming location for the TV-show ''[[Nash Bridges]]''.

In October 1999, Eureka entered San Francisco Drydock for a $1 million restoration project focusing on the vessel's superstructure—the above-water portions of the vessel. A significant portion of that restoration was the replacement of the boat's "kingposts"—four large wooden structures that support the paddlewheels and upper decks.

==Design==
Although a number of large ferryboats survive in the US, ''Eureka'' is the only one with a wooden hull. She is one of the most impressive remaining examples of traditional American wooden shipbuilding.
[[File:Eureka (1890 ferryboat) in drydock, ca. 1998.jpg|thumb|left|In drydock, ca. 1998]]
Beneath her upperworks, the round-bottomed hull is {{convert|42|ft}} wide and {{convert|277|ft}} long. The house rests on a platform extending {{convert|18|ft}} from the hull on either side.

Her [[walking beam engine]] was originally powered by [[coal]]-fired [[boilers]] that were converted to oil in 1905. The engine was built in 1890 by the Fulton Iron Works in San Francisco. ''Eureka'' is one of only two surviving vessels equipped with a walking beam engine, alongside the [[Ticonderoga (steamboat)|Ticonderoga]], and the only one still afloat.

With the increased length of {{convert|5|ft}},{{clarify |reason=How and when did length increase? |date=October 2012}} ''Eureka'' became the largest wooden passenger ferry ever built. She was certified to carry 3,500 people.

==See also==
* [[Ferries of San Francisco Bay]]

==References==
;Notes
{{Reflist}}
;Bibliography
*{{cite web | url=http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/wwIIbayarea/eur.htm | title=''Eureka'' | work=World War II in the San Francisco Bay Area | publisher=[[National Park Service]] | access-date=April 1, 2007}}
*{{cite web
|url={{NRHP url|id=73000229}}
|title=National Register of Historic Places Inventory—Nomination Form / Eureka
|format=pdf
|last=Welts
|first=Allen W.
|publisher=[[National Park Service]]
|date=February 28, 1973
|access-date=October 10, 2012
}}
**{{cite web
|url={{NRHP url|id=73000229|photos=y}}
|title=Accompanying Photos
|format=pdf
|publisher=[[National Park Service]]
|access-date=October 10, 2012
}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Eureka (ship, 1890)|Eureka (ferryboat)}}
* {{cite web |url=http://www.noehill.com/sf/landmarks/nat1973000229.asp |title=National Register #73000229: "Eureka" Steam Ferryboat in San Francisco, California |work=noehill.com }}
*{{HAER |survey=CA-59 |id=ca1504 |title=Ferry EUREKA, Hyde Street Pier, San Francisco, San Francisco County, CA |photos=51 |dwgs=7 |data=35 |cap=5}}
*{{HAER |survey=CA-364 |id=ca4112 |title=Lifeboat No. 3, EUREKA |photos=7 |dwgs=3 |cap=1 |link=no}}

{{San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park}}
{{World's largest wooden ships}}
{{Oldest surviving ships (pre-1919)}}
{{Registered Historic Places}}
{{California Steamboats}}

[[Category:San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park]]
[[Category:Ferries of California]]
[[Category:Museum ships in San Francisco]]
[[Category:Historic American Engineering Record in San Francisco]]
[[Category:National Historic Landmarks in the San Francisco Bay Area]]
[[Category:Ships on the National Register of Historic Places in California]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in San Francisco]]
[[Category:Steam ferries]]
[[Category:Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco]]
[[Category:1890 ships]]