Retracing America’s Naval History at Mare Island

Author: James Cook

Author: James Cook

Mare Island is a small island that is approximately 30 miles of the North Eastern coast of San Francisco, being miniscule in proportion when compared to the US mainland it only measures 3.5 miles across and one mile in length. The significance of Mare Island lies in the fact that it was the first ever US naval installation outside the mainland since 1853. From sailboats to nuclear submarines and destroyers, Mare Island San Francisco has always been in the thick of American Naval warfare. The military history of Mare Island begins in the 19th century when the Americans purchased the island for $83,491 from the Spanish. A year later Commander David Glasgow Farragaut was sent to the island to establish a navy ship yard which would support the Pacific Naval Squadron. The first ship to be built here the USS Saginaw was a wooden hulled, four gun, steam driven gun boat, however it was only the first and more than 500 ships were built during Mare Islands 142 year history. During the First World Mare Island became testing ground for aircraft carriers, these early prototypes were a far cry from todays modern models and featured a wooden landing deck. The ship yard also went onto build 17 nuclear powered submarines the final one being the USS Drum in 1970. Apart from the historical naval shipyard another Mare Island attraction is St. Peters Chapel which was the first inter-denominational chapel built by the US Navy in 1901. The allure of the chapel lies in its colorful stained glass windows and bronze wall plaques, hand crafted wooden tablets can also be seen fitted onto the ceiling. The chapel had been visited by four US Presidents and countless other politicians and dignitaries, during war time it wasnt unusual for celebrities to visit the chapel in order to raise the morale of the sailors. Today Mare Island has been developed into a historical, recreational, educational and residential area which sees the arrival many visitors. Being located a short distance away from San Francisco, hotels in the area serve as an ideal base to visit Mare Island. Staying at hotels in San Francisco offers travelers an array of accommodation options and a variety of attractions to enjoy.About the Author:

James Cook is an executive working for Hotelseye, which is a popular online reservation portal with a wide collection of San Francisco hotels and also this portal also it provides services links to San francisco travel such as car rentals and flight reservations. For more info please visit http://www.sanfranciscohotelseye.com

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