SS Jeremiah O'Brien

SS Jeremiah O'Brien is a World War II cargo vessel moored at Pier 45 in San Francisco. The decks display original cargo holds, winches, lifeboats, and a wheelhouse fitted with instruments from the 1940s.

A Maine shipyard built the vessel in 1943 in just 56 days, part of a mass production effort to supply transport ships for the war. It crossed the English Channel repeatedly to carry troops and material for the Normandy invasion.

The name honors an Irish-American Revolutionary naval officer, while the vessel now serves as a floating memorial to the thousands of merchant mariners who risked their lives at sea. Visitors see the cramped bunks and galleys where crews lived during months-long deployments.

The ship opens daily from 10 AM to 4 PM and sits directly next to restaurants and souvenir shops along the pier. Passageways are narrow and stairs are steep, so comfortable footwear is advisable.

The steam engine still runs on coal and is occasionally demonstrated, letting visitors experience the rhythmic pounding of pistons and the smell of oil and metal. The ship even sailed back to Normandy in 1994 for the invasion anniversary.