Phoenix (fireboat)
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| History | |
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 United States
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| Name: | Phoenix |
| Owner: | State of California |
| Operator: | San Francisco Fire Department |
| Ordered: | 1954 |
| In service: | 1955 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Fireboat |
| Displacement: | 146 tons |
| Length: | 89 ft (27 m) |
| Beam: | 19.5 ft (5.9 m) |
| Draft: | 7 ft (2.1 m) |
| Propulsion: |
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| Speed: | 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) |
| Crew: |
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Phoenix is a fireboat owned by State of California and operated by the city of San Francisco in the San Francisco Bay since 1955. Phoenix is known for helping to save Marina District buildings from further destruction by fire following the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. Her worthy assistance resulted in a second vintage fireboat obtained for the city. Both Guardian and Phoenix are based at Firehouse No. 35 at Pier 22½ of the Port of San Francisco. Phoenix often leads parades of ships, and takes part in welcoming ceremonies.
The city of San Francisco operated two fireboats in the 1900s: Governor Irwin and Governor Markham. Both were capable of pumping about 1,000 US gallons (3,800 L) per minute. These two, assisted by tugboats and military fireboats, tried but failed to stop the horrific fires which swept the city after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. In 1909, two new fireboats were placed in service—David Scannell and Dennis T. Sullivan—steam-powered boats each rated for 9,000–10,000 US gallons (34,000–38,000 L) per minute. A firehouse was built for them at the edge of the Panama–Pacific International Exposition in 1915. This firehouse was moved by barge to Pier 22½ near the intersection of Harrison Street and Embarcadero following the Exposition, when the old fair buildings were being torn down and the Marina District was being built in its place. The two fireboats served the city for 45 years and were scrapped in 1954.
To fill the anticipated lack of a fireboat, Phoenix was built in 1954 in Alameda by Hugh F. Munroe of Plant Shipyard, paid for by the State of California. Her name came from a contest publicized by the Port Authority; the winning suggestion was submitted by a member of the Phoenix Society, a group of San Francisco citizens interested in civil fire protection. Phoenix, the mythical firebird which rose anew from ashes, seemed appropriate because the city of San Francisco had risen seven times from great fires.
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Wikipedia