Fruitvale in Oakland in Alameda County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
Cryer & Sons
Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, January 19, 2014
1. Cryer & Sons Marker
Captions: The Cryer Boadyard (center) formed part of the industrial waterfront of Brooklyn Basin. Photos ca. 1945, courtesy Port of Oakland Archives. (right top); Two steel-hulled Coast Guard cutters berthed for repairs at Cryer Boatyard. Photo ca. 1960, courtesy Robert R. Cryer. (right bottom); Date of aerial photo, 6/1998 (left).
Inscription.
Cryer and Sons. . In operation on the Oakland waterfront from 1907 to 1989, Cryer was one of the best-known builders of small boats in the Bay Area. Founded in San Francisco in the 1890s by English-born William Cryer, the yard was later taken over by his son William James Cryer, and finally his grandsons William J, Cryer III and Robert R. Cryer. Originally William Cryer and Son, later W.J. Cryer and Sons, the yard occupied two sites on Brooklyn Basin – at 11th Avenue (1907-1912) and Dennison Street (1912-1989) – initially leasing buildings from the adjacent plants of Atlas Gas Engine Company and Standard Gas Engine Company, which installed most engines on Cryer-built boats. Cryer built and repaired small wooden powerboats, making the transition to the repair of steel-hulled cutters in the 1960s., A dozen or so employees, including welders, carpenters, and painters, worked on a wide variety of vessels, typically from 30 feet to 80 feet in length, from sturdy workboats for bay and river hauling to ocean-going yachts. The largest vessel ever built at the yard was the 130-ft. yacht of Oakland automaker R. Clifford Durant. A palatial cruiser with five staterooms and a crew of seven, the Black Swan had a range of 7,000 miles, making her maiden voyage to Hawaii in 1922. Cryer built over 40 launches and cannery tenders for the Alaska Packers Association. Oakland-based Thomas Crowley utilized Cryer-built launches and tugboats for his ship-to-shore transport and towing services. Other craft turned out by the yard included riverboats for freight and passengers, police patrol boats, and trawlers. , During World War II, when the number of employees exceeded 100, Cryer built four APC coastal transports for the Navy. Equipped with Atlas engines, the 103-ft. craft saw action in the Pacific carrying troops and cargo. Most of Cryers postwar work involved repairs to Coast Guard cutters berthed at nearby Coast Guard Island. The 1912 boat building, wharf, and marine railway at this site comprise the last remnants of Oaklands shipbuilding heritage.
In operation on the Oakland waterfront from 1907 to 1989, Cryer was one of the best-known builders of small boats in the Bay Area. Founded in San Francisco in the 1890s by English-born William Cryer, the yard was later taken over by his son William James Cryer, and finally his grandsons William J, Cryer III and Robert R. Cryer. Originally William Cryer & Son, later W.J. Cryer & Sons, the yard occupied two sites on Brooklyn Basin – at 11th Avenue (1907-1912) and Dennison Street (1912-1989) – initially leasing buildings from the adjacent plants of Atlas Gas Engine Company and Standard Gas Engine Company, which installed most engines on Cryer-built boats. Cryer built and repaired small wooden powerboats, making the transition to the repair of steel-hulled cutters in the 1960s.
A dozen or so employees, including welders, carpenters, and painters, worked on a wide variety of vessels, typically from 30 feet to 80 feet in length, from sturdy workboats for bay and river hauling to ocean-going yachts. The largest vessel ever built at the yard was the 130-ft. yacht of Oakland automaker R. Clifford Durant. A palatial cruiser with five staterooms and a crew of seven, the Black Swan had a range of 7,000 miles, making her maiden voyage to Hawaii in 1922. Cryer built over 40 launches and cannery tenders for the Alaska Packers
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Association. Oakland-based Thomas Crowley utilized Cryer-built launches and tugboats for his ship-to-shore transport and towing services. Other craft turned out by the yard included riverboats for freight and passengers, police patrol boats, and trawlers.
During World War II, when the number of employees exceeded 100, Cryer built four APC coastal transports for the Navy. Equipped with Atlas engines, the 103-ft. craft saw action in the Pacific carrying troops and cargo. Most of Cryers postwar work involved repairs to Coast Guard cutters berthed at nearby Coast Guard Island. The 1912 boat building, wharf, and marine railway at this site comprise the last remnants of Oaklands shipbuilding heritage.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1907.
Location. 37° 46.738′ N, 122° 14.577′ W. Marker is in Oakland, California, in Alameda County. It is in Fruitvale. It is on Embarcadero near Dennison Street, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2301 Embarcadero, Oakland CA 94606, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in California’s San Francisco Bay Area and on the Coast Ranges. It is also on the American Pacific Coast. Globally, it is in North America, on the Ring of Fire, in the Pacific Rim, in the Western Hemisphere, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain and also Mexicos Alta California.
Another marker is no longer nearby. Early Harbor (was approx. 0.3 miles away but has been permanently removed).
More about this marker. Technically this marker is of Alameda County Bicycle Route 5.
Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, January 19, 2014
3. Cryer & Sons Boatyard
Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on January 21, 2014, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 1,423 times since then and 59 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on January 21, 2014, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. • Syd Whittle was the editor who published this page.
