Learning about shipbuilding

I visited Building 12 at Potrero Point yesterday, and learned that the ship building facilities there had an entire floor of that building devoted to scaling up drawings of the steel plates for the ship and making them out of what appeared to be heavy paper, before sending them down to be applied to steel plate and cut.  I'm choosing now to think of ships as just very large items of clothing. :D

 

In addition to the historic information, there is always a good exhibit with a few works by several artists in the main lobby just north of the red stairwell.  I'm always happy to take a detour to see what is on view.

Somerset (8 October 2024)

I hadn't realized this ship had a Flight 93 tribute on it...  This is the USS Somerset.  And yes, it is SF Fleet Week. 

Star of India, San Diego (29 February)

I can easily imagine returning to San Diego to visit and enjoy their historic ships, and compare them to our own.  (Balclutha forever!) 

Evening ship lights (November 16)

 

President Wilson (the ship)

 I don't often travel from Jack London Square, but when I do, I take too many photos of ships!

USNS John Glenn

 This exotic ship can partly submerge to launch hovercraft from its low deck.  It's... amazing.

(Read more at the USNS John Glenn Wikipedia Page.)

Global Mermaid (2 Aug)

 There are.... so many photos of ships on my phone!

Anyway: this is not what I expect a mermaid to look like, generally.

Highton (14 July)

 The crew has to climb a ladder to depart?  Oh, my!

Ship Nose in Profile, through a wet window, and with filters applied

 I keep myself amused.

Ship medley (from my weekday commutes)

I'm very much under the influence of my weekday bay commutes.  I do find ships visually striking, and now see them up-close every day.

Container ships remain very large (29 May)

 SO LARGE.

Hapag-Lloyd (19 May)

The containers are so nicely autumn-color-coordinated!
 

Trimaran trimaran-ing (15 May)

It went unnaturally fast!  I was impressed.  (It often seemed to have just one hull in the water, which looked unbalanced...)

A very red ship (10 May)

SO RED!  It looks great with those clouds in the back.  (The spots are water flying through the air, kicked up by the boat I'm on with assistance from the wind.)

Ships are so VIVID (May 2)

Not only this ship, but so many of the ships - with bonus colors on the containers. The bold colors - reds, oranges, and vivid greens.  The contrast between the black and white.  It's all very satisfying.  If I could get closer with a medium format camera, my rust and valve studies would be EXCESSIVE.

Ship in red, white, and black (26 Apr)

 

My phone is full of ships (March 28)

I was explaining to a friend what the purpose of smaller container ships are (the sort that can go upriver and unload in smaller ports), and it makes me think I'm spending too much time commuting.