The four-alarm Fisherman’s Wharf fire early Saturday morning spared the historic SS Jeremiah O’Brien warship, but the pier that it has called home for 20 years was not so lucky.
With Pier 45 still smoldering, and one of its warehouses a pile of rubble and ash, the vessel set sail Tuesday afternoon, bound for its new temporary home at Pier 35, San Francisco’s cruise ship terminal. That places the historic floating attraction right next to another San Francisco landmark: Pier 39.
Matt Lasher, director of the National Liberty Ship Memorial, the nonprofit group that manages the SS Jeremiah O’Brien, said he hopes the ship will one day return to Pier 45 after the structure has been repaired.
Fire investigators are still conducting interviews, and city officials said Tuesday that the pier is not yet clear enough of debris to allow investigators to inspect the scene.
The ship, which came to San Francisco in the 1970s, offers tours and programs to locals and tourists alike. And while Lasher said it’s a shame the ship lost its home, he’s both grateful and amazed it escaped the blaze in one piece.