#eppleton hall

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a FEW people said they were interested in my boat photos and clearly i dont have enough to do, so i'm doing this now! i'm going in chronological order through my collection of photos for now, but if people are interested in specific places i'll do whatever.

a note that all of these are just taken on an iphone, and i'm not a great photographer. don't come here for quality photos xoxo.

hope y'all enjoy though !

San Francisco Maritime, Hyde Street Pier. June 8, 2022.

The C.A. Thayer is a three-masted West Coast lumber schooner built near Eureka, CA in 1895. She hauled lumber up and down the West Coast of the Americas until 1912 when she was brought into the Alaska fisheries trade, hauling salt, salmon, and supplies into the Bering Sea until 1930. C.A. Thayer was laid up and out of use during the Great Depression, and was briefly used as an ammunition barge during the Second World War. After a brief return to the codfishing trade, the Thayer was purchased in 1957 by the state of California, restored, and brought to San Francisco. [Source]

The Eureka is a paddlewheel steamboat built in 1890 for the San Francisco and North Pacific Railway. She originally hauled freight cars across the Bay under the name Ukiah, and was converted to a passenger and car ferry and renamed Eureka in 1923. The ferry lines that Eureka ran dwindled in passengers following construction of the Golden Gate and Bay Bridges, and by the 1950s ferry service was extremely limited. Eureka was removed from service in 1957 after a mechanical breakage. [Source]

The Balclutha is a full-rigged, steel hulled ship built in 1886 near Glasgow, Scotland. Her maiden voyage took her around Cape Horn and to San Francisco for a cargo of California wheat. Balclutha remained in the grain trade until 1899, when she began transporting lumber from the Puget Sound to Australia. Balclutha was purchased by the Alaska Packers Association in 1902, rechristened Star of Alaska, and began transporting supplies and workers from San Francisco to Alaska. She was purchased in 1930 and starred in Mutiny on the Bounty as well as traveling the West Coast as an attraction "pirate ship." Balclutha was purchased by the San Francisco Maritime Museum in 1954, and restored. [Source]

The Hercules is a ocean-going steam tugboat built in 1907. She hauled sailing ships up through contrary winds to more northern ports, including at one point hauling the C.A. Thayer to Port Townsend, WA. On her return trips, Hercules would usually haul large rafts of lumber down from the Pacific Northwest to be milled in Southern California. She was eventually purchased by the Western Pacific Railroad to be used as a bay tug, retiring in 1962. Hercules languished unused until she was purchased by San Francisco Maritime in 1975. [Source]

The Eppleton Hall is a steam-powered sidewheeler tug built in 1914 in England. She was originally used to tug ocean-going coal vessels to and from Newcastle, UK, on the River Tyne. She is the last remaining example of a Tyne paddle tug. She operated on the Wear and Tyne rivers in England for her entire career. The Eppleton Hall was sold for scrap in 1967, but restored in 1969 to steam to San Francisco via the Panama Canal. In 1979, she was donated to the National Parks Service. [Source]

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The Paddlewheeled Tugboat Eppleton Hall

Above photo is from Kevin Blair unknown date

The Eppleton hall was built in 1914 by the Hepple and company in south shields England for the Lambton and Hetton collieries Ltd. the Eppleton hall was named the Lambton family's ancestral home. she was built to tow ocean going colliers (vessels that carry coal) for wharf to sea on the River Tyne and to tow new ships out to sea. with a speed of 10 knots (19km/h or 12mph), her engines could function independently to help with maneuverability has she came in at 30.6 m (100.5 ft) in length.

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The Lambton and Hetton collieries Ltd merged with the joicey Collieries in 1924 to form the Lambton, Hetton & Joicey Collieries Ltd. in 1945 sometime before the collieries where nationalised and operated by the national coal board, Lambton, Hetton & Joicey Collieries Ltd where sold to the France, Fenwick Tyne and Wear Ltd. in 1952 she was modified to obtain a passenger certificate, so that she could transport officials from newly built ships after their sea trials.

Above photo is from Kevin Blair unknown date

In November 1964 France, Fenwick Tyne and Wear Ltd got rid of their last paddle tug the Houghton (built in 1904 by Hepple and had been once owned by Lambton Collieries and was scrapped) and the Eppleton hall was sold to the Seaham harbor dock company where she worked alongside the reliant (built 1907). She was sold to the shipbreaker's clayton and cavie Ltd for scrap in 1967 and was left sitting on a mud bank in Duston. As part of the scrapping process, she was set on fire to help the process. she would remain there for 2 years partly flooded and rotting away.

Above photo of EPPLETON HALL lying at the breakers is copyright of Malcolm Donnelly sometime between 1967 and 1969.

The news that the sale of the last steam paddle tug still in service anywhere in the world the Reliant had reached Karl Kortum, who was then the director of the San Francisco Maritime Museum. Karl's friend and museum trustee Scott Newhall was informed about the sale. Scott flew to Newcastle, England to obtain the Reliant for the museum. this plan was met with opposition as the British National Maritime Museum had prior claim to the Reliant, as they planned to scrap the hull and preserve one or both of the Side Lever engines and perhaps a paddle wheel. 3 times did the British National Maritime Museum stop Scott from getting the Reliant, the last attempt Scott even hired people to collect the tug, who pretend to be representatives of the British National Maritime Museum. This attempt apparently failed when the police were called.

The day after his last attempt Scott when to have a look at the Eppleton hall, he was surprised that she was mostly whole. that night from his hotel room he called the shipbreaker's clayton and cavie Ltd and brought the Eppleton hall. she was rebuilt at Bill Quay, near Hebburn at a small shipyard from sometime in June 1969. she was modified to help her cross the Atlantic Ocean under her own steam. modern navigational aids, radio, a new wheelhouse saved from a fishing trawler, 2 masts for sails and she was had a conversion from a coal burner to a diesel oil firer. this cost $150,000 at the time. she Templary become the SS Eppleton Hall for this crossing and was re-registered as a private yacht so that the Uk broad of trade cerftion for the crossing.

Above photo is from Kevin Blair unknown date

On the 18th of September 1969, she set sail on the first leg of the journey to San Francisco via the Panama Canal. Sailing via Dover, Lisbon, Cape Verde, Georgetown, via Panama and San Diego to name a few of her scheduled stops. she did have some problems during the journey: she ran out of fuel in the Bay of Biscay, her vacuum pump failed in the middle of the Atlantic, she helped rescue a fishing vessel off the coast of Mexico and nearly sunk in a storm near San Diego on the final leg. she passed under the golden gate bridge in late March of 1970, making the journey a 6 months and 9 days long adventure for the 12 man crew on broad. Scott wrote the book: the Eppleton hall, which tells the story of the discovery and restoration of the ship, the events about the reliant and the 11,000 mile journey to bring her to San Francisco. she was donated by Karl Kortum to the national park service in 1979.

photo taken by Wingsdomain Art and Photography in 2012

Today she is berthed at the Hyde Street pier at San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park. she was restored to look like her refurbishment for France Fenwick, Tyne and Wear Ltd post war in 1946.

photos are from Eppleton Hall 1914 (tynetugs.co.uk)

for more information about the Eppleton hall;

Eppleton Hall History - San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)

The FULL Story of Eppleton Hall’s Transatlantic Voyage — Newcastle to San Francisco (1969-1970) (youtube.com)

In the British TV Show TUGS a sister show to Thomas and friends, there is a paddle tug named OJ, who is based on the Eppleton hall.

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John Fitch was granted a United States patent for the steamboat on August 26, 1791.

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National Maritime Day is observed annually in the United States on May 22. Created to recognize the maritime industry National Maritime Day also honors America’s Merchant Marines for their contributions and sacrifices for our country.  Special acknowledgment is given to ships and seafarers that have held a prominent place in our nation’s history. As one of the oldest industries, it has time-honored traditions and a rich and full history. Celebrations and ceremonies around the country will recognize the people our maritime nation depends on. Each year the Department of Transporation holds a national ceremony in Washinton D.C. There is a national ceremony in Washington D.C. at the Department of Transportation headquarters. 

Source

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The Embarcadero (No. 3)

The San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park is located in San Francisco. The park includes a fleet of historic vessels, a visitor center, a maritime museum, and a library/research facility. The park is sometimes referred to as the San Francisco Maritime Museum, its former 1951 name that changed in 1978 when the collections were acquired by the National Park Service. Today's San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park was authorized in 1988; the maritime museum is among the park's many cultural resources. The park also incorporates the Aquatic Park Historic District, bounded by Van Ness Avenue, Polk Street, and Hyde Street. The historic fleet of the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park is moored at the park's Hyde Street Pier. The fleet consists of the following major vessels: • Balclutha, an 1886 built square rigged sailing ship. • C.A. Thayer, an 1895 built schooner. • Eureka, an 1890 built steam ferryboat. • Alma, an 1891 built scow schooner. • Hercules, a 1907 built steam tug. • Eppleton Hall, a 1914 built paddlewheel tug.

Source: Wikipedia