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Making America's Best Idea Even Better
San Francisco Maritime National Historical ParkKids playing on the beach at Aquatic Park at sunset.
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San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park
Alma
 
The scow schooner Alma sailing on San Francisco Bay.
The scow schooner Alma, sailing on San Francisco Bay.
 
STATS
Overall length 80 feet
Registered length 59 feet
Beam 22.6 feet
Depth 4 feet
Gross tonnage 41.76
Height of foremast 67 feet

  • Alma is a wooden-hulled scow schooner built in 1891 to carry bulk cargo.
  • The flat-bottomed hull was designed to navigate the shallow waters of the Sacramento/San Joaquin Delta and to rest on the bottom at low tide.
  • With few bridges and connecting roads, scow schooners delivered goods all over the Bay and Delta much as trucks do today.
  • By 1880 there were 250 sailing scows on San Francisco Bay.

Click here to read about Alma's history, and the history of scow schooners on San Francisco Bay.
Words that say Go Sailing on Alma.
Afternoon Sailing Adventures on San Francisco Bay
Go sailing with a National Park Service Ranger
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A sailing ambassador, Alma represents the park at ports around San Francisco Bay.
Scow Schooner Alma
History of scow schooners on San Francisco Bay
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The Grace Quan during sea trials in 2004.  

Did You Know?
The Grace Quan is a replica of the type of fishing vessel used throughout the Bay Area by Chinese shrimp fishing companies between 1860 and 1910. She was built by San Francisco Maritime and California State park staff and volunteers in 2003.
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Last Updated: July 25, 2006 at 00:22 EST