4.11.08

F I R S TP R E V881NEXTLAST

The Balclutha Figurehead
It surprises many to know that for a while during the 1880s San Francisco was the greatest whaling post in the world. When news of the Gold Rush reached the Eastern cities of the country many of the ships that passed around the horn in search of wealth were whaling ships. Later when discouraged sailors returned from the gold fields they signed on as whalers on those abandoned ships.

At that time an estimate 1,000 whales passed through the waters near the Golden Gate in a single day. The Pacific Grey Whales that frequented the shallow waters and lagoons of the coast and were easily captured and towed back to San Francisco for processing. The whaling was so easy that within five years the whaling waters were depleted.

The whales did get a measure of revenge though. On July 21, 1900, the 81-foot schooner Bonita was rammed and sunk by a school of whales six miles off the Farallones. Luckily all the crew members were rescued by the pilot schooner Gracie S.
[ MAP D-12 ]


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