Brigantine Galilee
The Smartest Sailing Vessel out of San Francisco
— The Rudder, January 1899
Galilee's stern (on display here) is but one of her parts preserved. Behind you, in Bldg E, the park's collections include Galilee artifacts, photos and historical accounts — a legacy of innovative hull and rigging design, and record breaking speed.
"To see her sweeping through the blue Pacific seas with her pyramid of snowy cotton, round and hard with the blasts of the trade winds, to see her hull shearing through the seas with its sharp stern and gently rolling with a stately, graceful sweep of her spars, is enough to make any sailor or lover of nautical sights long for the days of sailing packets to come again." — The Rudder, 1899
Careers
1891-1905: Island packet ship between Tahiti and San Francisco. Record speed 19 days; average 22.5
1905-1908: Charted the Earth's magnetic fields
1908-1933: Re-rigged as a schooner by the Union Fish Company, fitted with a diesel engine
1934-1962: Houseboat at Galilee Harbor, Sausalito
1975: Vessel parts conserved. Her bow is in Benecia at the
this page online
Owner & Designer
Matthew Turner
Dimensions
Length: 132.5'
Beam: 33.5'
Gross Tonnage: 354
Built
1891 at Benecia, California
Erected by National Park Service.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Science & Medicine • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical month for this entry is January 1899.
Location. 37° 48.438′ N, 122° 25.794′ W. Marker is in San Francisco, California, in San Francisco City and County. It is in Fort Mason. Marker is on Marina Boulevard east of Laguna Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: San Francisco CA 94123, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. San Francisco Port of Embarkation (within shouting distance of this marker); Fort Mason Historic District (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); San Francisco Port of Embarkation (1932-1962) (approx. 0.2 miles away); Phillip Burton (approx. 0.2 miles away); Golden Gate National Recreation Area Legislation (approx. 0.2 miles away); a different marker also named Fort Mason Historic District (approx. 0.2 miles away); a different marker also named Fort Mason Historic District (approx. 0.2 miles away); Tubbs Cordage Building (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in San Francisco.
More about this marker. The marker is located on the grounds of Fort Mason, at the edge of the parking lot, just to the east of the Festival Pavilion.
Also see . . .
1. The Stern of the Brigantine Galilee (Atlas Obscura). "Once the fastest ship from San Francisco to Tahiti, the Galilee now lays in pieces in three different cities....the stern portion of the boat was removed and relocated to Fort Mason, where it sat mysteriously unmarked and mostly exposed to the elements, under a small shelter. Today the midsection of the Galilee is still in Sausalito, sunken into the mud in Galilee harbor and the bow is located in the collection of the Benicia Historical Society." (Submitted on April 24, 2018.)
2. Galilee (ship) (Wikipedia). "The Galilee was a brigantine, built in 1891, designed by Matthew Turner. She started on the packet line between San Francisco and Tahiti and was reckoned a very fast ship. In 1905 she was chartered by the Carnegie Institution's Department of Terrestrial Magnetism and converted into a magnetic observatory. She was used to make observations of Earth's magnetic field on three cruises over a period of three years from 1905 to 1908 in the Pacific Ocean." (Submitted on April 24, 2018.)
Additional keywords. Brigantine Galilee
Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on April 24, 2018, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 403 times since then and 53 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 24, 2018, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.
