Clever Geek Handbook

Pier 45 San Francisco

Pier 45 San Francisco | SS Jeremiah O'Brien | USS Pampanito x Things To Do Dining Shopping Getting Around About & Info Historic Pier 45

IMG_2001.JPG [https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/561c0052e4b0faa1a2071248/1502995294893-X9XBPVVFXO5O08OYUW6J/ke17ZwdGBToddI8pDm48kDHPSfPanjkWqhH6pl6g5ph7gQa3H78H3Y0txjaiv_0fDoOvxcdMmMKkDsyUqMSsMWxHk725yiiHCCLfrh8O1z4YTzHvnKhyp6Da-NYroOW3ZGjoBKy3azqku80C789l0mwONMR1ELp49Lyc52iWr5dNb1QJw9casjKdtTg1_-y4jz4ptJBmI9gQmbjSQnNGng/IMG_2001.JPG] Pier 45 | 415-441-6872 |

The SS Jeremiah O'Brienis one of two remaining fully functional Liberty ships of the 2,710 built and launched during World War II. The O'Brien has the distinction of being the last unaltered Liberty ship and remains historically accurate. Moored at Pier 45, Fisherman's Wharf, she is a premier San Francisco attraction. A living museum on the National Register of Historic Places and a National Historic Landmark, the O'Brien transports you back almost seven decades to when sailors braved the harshest of high seas and threat of enemy attack.

Pampanito_Pier45.jpg [https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/561c0052e4b0faa1a2071248/1502995284000-QGHSG0BHGJ9Q7XJA2RA3/ke17ZwdGBToddI8pDm48kOT4MEuro-WVXVU9oEf1Smd7gQa3H78H3Y0txjaiv_0fDoOvxcdMmMKkDsyUqMSsMWxHk725yiiHCCLfrh8O1z5QPOohDIaIeljMHgDF5CVlOqpeNLcJ80NK65_fV7S1UbHgzLD2RDM2qpbRARrifVCWF0nN65q-5QU9tjDR5T1fO1ecLVCJQYy9cMPmyV9Sog/Pampanito_Pier45.jpg] Pier 45 | 415-561-6662 |

The USS Pampanito (SS-383) is a meticulously restored World War II diesel-electric powered submarine. Located at Historic Pier 45, in the heart of Fisherman's Wharf, Pampanito is both a museum and a memorial to those who served in the "silent service." Built in 1943, Pampanito made six patrols in the Pacific during which she sank six enemy ships and damaged four others. Open daily to the public, offering self-guided audio tours and (by prior arrangement) docent-led tours

DISTRICT SPONSORS

Would you like to become a sponsor of Fisherman's Wharf? Learn more . Historic Pier 45 — Fisherman's Wharf San Francisco Breaking News: Back to GalleryEarly morning fire consumes warehouse on SF’s... 201of20A warehouse fire burns at Pier 45 in San Francisco on Saturday.Photo: Dan Whaley A fire early Saturday morning destroyed a fish processing and storage warehouse at San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf and for a time threatened part of the popular tourist area

But firefighters saved the Jeremiah O’Brien, a World War II Liberty ship.

Flames from the blaze shot more than 100 feet in the air and billows of black smoke shrouded the waterfront as 150 firefighters with 50 trucks and other pieces of equipment, including fireboats, fought the blaze on Pier 45, where a large warehouse known as Shed C is home to fishing and maritime businesses.

One firefighter was injured, with hand cuts. She was treated at a local hospital.

The Jeremiah O’Brien is also moored at the pier. Flames licked at the historic vessel but it escaped with only cosmetic damage, thanks to efforts by firefighters.

Philip O’Mara, senior shipkeeper for the O’Brien, said the ship was in great shape and “just got singed a bit.” O’Mara credited the city’s fire boat, the St. Francis, for saving the day.

“I am very grateful,” said O’Mara, who has worked on the ship for 20 years. “This ship, she’s something else. She’s been through a lot. She’s not going to be taken down by a shed fire.”

Fire Department Lt. Jonathan Baxter credited “our aggressive and quick, swift actions” with saving the O’Brien.

“If you’re looking for one positive,” he said, “saving a historic World War II vessel at the beginning of Memorial Day weekend is something we should be proud of as a community.”

The fire was contained at 11:30 a.m., Baxter said, after firefighters spent several hours spraying water on the smoldering debris from the ground and from three aerial ladders.

The fire broke out around 4 a.m. and firefighters rushed to the scene. Although a cause for the blaze has yet to be determined, Baxter said that fire investigators are “looking at the possibility that homeless people were inside.” That investigation was expected to last several days.

A fisherman whose boat is docked at Pier 45 said that homeless people hang out in the warehouse and sometimes build fires for cooking.

Workers were in the warehouse when the blaze broke out.

Lloyd Dizon, a salesman for Aloha Seafood, was taking orders when the fire began.

“It started like a little thing, then the whole structure started,” he said. “A few seconds later, the building started caving in.”

Other workers reported an explosion before the fire erupted.

Alejandro Arellano, who works for La Rocca Seafood, was cleaning out a fish storage locker.

“I saw a lot of smoke. A few minutes later, fire everywhere,” he said. “It was very, very scary. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Hours after the fire broke out, about two dozen workers from the warehouse, many still wearing their yellow fish-processing aprons, gathered behind Alioto’s restaurant to watch firefighters pour water on the collapsed shed. They showed each other cell phone pictures they had taken of the fire and wondered when and how they will be going back to work.

The streets around the pier were almost paved with yellow hoses, some stretching for as many as four blocks to a hydrant at Beach and Taylor streets. Firefighters from at least a dozen trucks were spraying water on the blaze, with three ladder trucks drenching the warehouse from 50 feet above.

The first call came at 4:15 a.m. Truck 13 from the Sansome Street Station in the Financial District was the first on the scene, and fast action by its crew prevented the fire from spreading, Baxter said.

The truck company nearly paid a heavy price. Flames from the blaze rolled out and singed the truck, forcing firefighters to turn their hoses on the vehicle to save it, Baxter said. The truck was slightly damaged, but no one was hurt.

The blaze was confined to the north end of the pier, well away from the Musée Mécanique and its historic arcade games and the restaurants and other businesses in the popular tourist area.

Kenny Belov, owner of TwoXSea, a sustainable seafood wholesaler in a building only about 50 feet from the warehouse, learned of the fire in a phone call from one of his employees at about 4:45 a.m. Then his plant manager sent a video taken on the loading dock facing the fire.

“Just breathtaking,” Belov said. “It was this massive blaze.”

Five of Belov’s employees were in the building at the time, he said, and they all evacuated safely. There was no damage to TwoXSea “as far as I know,” he added.

Belov said hundreds of vehicles typically are parked in the warehouse, mostly a mix of employees’ cars and delivery trucks.

He acknowledged the crazy timing of the fire, atop the closure of restaurants caused by the coronavirus pandemic and shelter-in-place orders. Belov abruptly pivoted his business to home delivery, and he had several deliveries scheduled Saturday that wouldn’t be going out.

He also was worried a prolonged blackout could ruin the fish in his deep freezer.

“Not that it would ever need this, but the seafood industry didn’t need this now,” Belov said. “It’s surreal. We’ve obviously had a tough go the last couple months, with restaurants (closed). … Of all the problems in the world, this is not a big one. But it’s frustrating.”

A longtime crab and salmon commercial fisherman said he lost Dungeness crab, rock crab and shrimp pots to the blaze.

“I’m basically out of business” because it’s unlikely he can get his gear replaced before the November crab season, said the fisherman, who gave only his first name, Mike.

He estimated there are 19 fishermen with gear stored in the warehouse that was destroyed. The fishing fleet lost over 7,000 crab pots, worth about $265 each.

The offices of the Red and White Fleet, a bay tour company, also were destroyed, fire officials said.

Thick black smoke rolled over the bay from the blaze, which at its height sent flames climbing into the sky in the predawn darkness. Even as firefighters brought the blaze under control, a thick pall of choking smoke hung over the waterfront.

> UPDATE: WORKING FIRE, 4TH ALARM, PIER 45, SF, btwn TAYLOR ST and JONES ST,

— San Francisco Firefighters 798 (@SFFFLocal798) Department fireboats were used to fight the blaze. Coast Guard and police marine units also were assisting, keeping other vessels from the area.

Fire officials urged tourists, swimmers and boaters to stay away from the area. An investigation into the fire continued throughout the day, along with efforts to secure the area.

> omg. pier 45

— Devon Turner (@devongt) Traffic was blocked at Taylor and Jefferson streets. Heavy smoke, visible across the city, hung over the area.

Correction: The name of Philip O’Mara, senior shipkeeper for the Jeremiah O’Brien, was misspelled in earlier editions of this story.

San Francisco Chronicle staff writers John Wildermuth and Tara Duggan contributed to this report.

Steve Rubenstein and Ron Kroichick are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: , Twitter: ,

Bay Briefing Trends Most Popular Top of the News In-Depth Your Choices Regarding Cookies We and third parties may deploy cookies and similar technologies when you use our site. Please review the information below and select the cookies that you want to enable. You can continue to the site without accepting these cookies but certain features may not be available or function properly.Editorial, Functionality and Social Media Cookies We use third-party services for commenting, videos, and embedding posts as part of our news coverage. The providers of these cookies may use the data as explained in their privacy policies.Performance, Content Recommendation and Personalization Cookies We use our own and third-party services to provide content recommendations and customize your user experience and advertising. The providers of these cookies may use the data as explained in their privacy policies.Analytics We use cookies to analyze and measure traffic to the site so that we know our audience, what stories are read, where visitors come from, and how long they stay. You can opt out of these analytics cookies by unselecting the boxes below.ContinuePrivacy Settings Historic Pier 45 — Fisherman's Wharf San Francisco By continuing to browse our site you agree to our use of , and . More information about I agree By Ralph Ellis, Artemis Moshtaghian and Jay Croft, CNN



Updated 0141 GMT (0941 HKT) May 24, 2020

MUST WATCH (16 Videos)































(CNN)A four-alarm warehouse fire that broke out at Pier 45 in San Francisco has been contained, the city's fire department said Saturday afternoon.

More than 150 firefighters battled the fire that destroyed a quarter of the pier at Fisherman's Wharf, according to Lt. Jonathan Baxter, a public information officer with the San Francisco Fire Department. The warehouse was destroyed.The blaze was first reported at 4:17 a.m. (7:17 a.m. ET) and was contained to a section of the pier. Flames could be seen in the early morning darkness in photos tweeted by Dan Whaley.By early afternoon, the blaze was contained.Firefighters will stay on the scene through Sunday or even Memorial Day to make sure hotspots and active smoldering fires are out, Baxter said at a Saturday afternoon news briefing.Read MoreThe pier is not far from Pier 39, a popular tourist area.One firefighter had a severe cut to his hand and was treated and released from a local hospital, Baxter said. No other injuries were reported. A fire official walks near the site of the Pier 45 fire on Saturday. [//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/200523171152-03-san-francisco-fire-0523-large-169.jpg] A fire official walks near the site of the Pier 45 fire on Saturday.Crews are investigating the cause of the fire but results will not be available for weeks, Baxter says. The pier was fully evacuated, as were some nearby businesses, the fire department said. The fire department tweeted a link to live updates.The fire caused a partial building collapse on the southern part of the pier, spread to two buildings on the pier and was in danger of spreading to a third, fire officials say. Pier 45 burns in San Francisco, with the Transamerica Pyramid in the foreground. [//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/200523083745-01-san-francisco-fire-0523-large-169.jpg] Pier 45 burns in San Francisco, with the Transamerica Pyramid in the foreground.The SS Jeremiah O'Brien, a World War II ship based at Pier 45, would have been lost in the fire without the assistance of fire boats, Baxter said. Fire boat three did an amazing job and "defended our history, specifically on Memorial Day weekend. It saved that vessel," he said. "When firefighters arrived, the flames were literally lapping over the Jeremiah O'Brien," he said, CNN affiliate . "They literally saved the O'Brien."Reporter Reyna Harvey of CNN affiliate tweeted video from the scene.Several other fireboats also positioned themselves around the wharf and helped fight the fire. The warehouse contained a large fish processing operation for the northern California crab fleet, KPIX reported.The fire department is working with the city's Department of Building Inspection and the San Francisco Port Authority to determine the structural integrity of the pier.It remains unclear whether anyone was in the building, which is sometimes used by homeless people, officials said.Investigators are looking through surveillance footage in an effort to determine the cause of the fire.CNN's Melissa Alonso contributed to this report.

Quantcast [//pixel.quantserve.com/pixel/p-D1yc5zQgjmqr5.gif?labels=noscript%3ANo%20Labels%20Set]Privacy Settings Your Privacy Your Privacy When you visit our website, we may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. This information might be about you, your preferences or your device and is mostly used to make the site work as you expect it to. The information does not usually directly identify you, but it can give you a more personalised web experience. You can choose not to allow some types of cookies. Click on the different category headings to find out more and change our default settings. However, if you disable the use of cookies in your browser, it may impact your experience of the site and the services we are able to offer.

Consent Leg.Interest Select All Vendors Select All Vendors Select All HostsSelect All

Information storage and accessApplySave Preferences Accept allChat with us in Facebook Messenger. Find out what's happening in the world as it unfolds.

More articles:


All Articles