The Fireboat Phoenix (Fireboat #1)
Built: 1954 Commissioned: 1955
Stationed at Pier 22 1/2 at Embarcadero and Harrison Streets

Phoenix Saves the Marina
The Loma Prieta Earthquake was an instant media event. On October 17, 1989, thanks to cameras overhead in the Goodyear blimp, the world watched as the Phoenix and the S.F.F.D. fought the conflagration at Beach and Divisadero Streets in the Marina. The start of the third game of the World Series flickered off the world's TV screens to be replaced, almost instantly it seemed, by graphic pictures of flames and collapsed buildings, bridges and freeways.

Fireboat Engineer Nate Hardy has vivid recollections of that evening: "I was doing some welding just outside the shop area on the pier, when the project I was working on started moving. I knew immediately what was happening, but I wasn't worried. Then everything began falling off the shelves and parts of the pier began separating, leaving a gap of probably 12 inches each time a shock wave rolled through. All of a sudden it got very quiet, and I looked up at the Bay Bridge and saw people walking around. Then I knew it was a bigger quake than I had thought it was. But, I didn't realize that already people had died. Engine 35's box came in and they left, and very shortly The Embarcadero was completely blocked. People came in to offer help. The [S.F.F.D.] radio was going nuts. I couldn't figure out why the boat hadn't gotten a box. There were broken gas mains everywhere. Then Radio called us. . ."

At about 6:00 PM Phoenix was called to respond to the Marina, but only Pilot Arvid Havneras, Engineer Hardy and Lt. Bob Banchera were left to man the boat. "We could see a fire in Oakland, then Richmond called to ask for our help with a big gasoline spill, and we could see a huge cloud of gray smoke over the Marina. I immediately went below to get the pumps running and then came topside to help if I could as Arvid maneuvered right in through the crowded yacht harbor. Incredibly he was able to get us in close to Divisadero St. without hitting anything despite the rapidly dropping water level. Volunteers were all over the dock; some were dressed in business suits, other in shorts and sneakers. With their help we quickly pulled out as much 3 inch hose as we could. We hooked up three lines to an engine on shore and began pumping right away. Soon we had ten lines working. We pumped continuously for 15 hours with two pumps wide open - 6400 GPM. [This was over 5.5 million gallons of water.] We had plenty of fuel, but we could have put out a call to tugs in the area to bring us some if we had run low. We have tremendous pumping capacity. We could pump water from The Embarcadero back up the hill to Twin Peaks Reservoir, if such a thing were ever needed." Let's hope that quake never comes.

The Phoenix crew received the highest praise from all sides for its outstanding work Earthquake Night. The fireboat saved the Marina.

Guardian Comes to San Francisco
The Guardian was a gift to the people of San Francisco from two anonymous and very generous donors from the Marina district who gave $300,000 towards the purchase of the vessel shortly after the earthquake of October 17, 1989. It was their way of saying "thank you" for a job well done by the Phoenix, which pumped water from the St. Francis Yacht Harbor into the S.F.F.D.'s Portable Water System to the conflagration at Beach and Divisadero Streets. Without the water supplied by the Phoenix, many more Marina residents would have lost their homes. Guardian, a fine boat with exceptional firefighting capacity, and had previously served as a fireboat for the city of Vancouver, B.C. She had been declared surplus and was in the hands of a salvage dealer waiting to be dismantled and sold for scrap. Time was running out, but fortunately through the interest and perseverance of Fire Commissioner Sharon Bretz, the way was quickly cleared for her purchase. But then we had to get the boat to San Francisco. . .

Three pilots from the San Francisco Bar Pilots Association volunteered to crew the boat on its 1,200 mile journey. Because of his almost legendary ability to fix equipment under the most adverse conditions, Phoenix Engineer Nate Hardy was assigned to get the boat ready and keep it running. A $50,000 donation from Shinnyo-En, a Buddhist organization in the Marina, helped defray travel costs, including fuel and oil, outfitting and supplies, and the repairs to make Guardian seaworthy for the long ocean voyage.

The trip to San Francisco was not a pleasure cruise: there were no bunks, no galley, no gourmet food and no comfortable furnishings. Hardy had bought a microwave, a small fridge, lots of microwavable food, some fresh fruit, stacks of sodas and piles of paper plates and plastic knives and forks. The crew each had a foam pad to sleep on and little else. Furthermore, a heavy storm was heading toward the coast as the crew set out. They decided it was best to hold back a bit to see how the storm developed. Their first stop in American waters was in Blaine, Washington - just over the border - where they fueled up to capacity and avoided Canadian taxes. From Blaine their route took them through the beautiful San Juan Islands. On the third day they reached the pilot station at Port Angeles and stopped to talk to the pilot on duty. It was blowing hard, but from satellite photos it looked like the storm was clearing in the area of central Oregon. The crew was eager to get back to San Francisco and decided to proceed on and take a look at the storm first hand. They continued west through the Strait of Juan De Fuca toward the Pacific Ocean. Very quickly they got far enough into the storm that they couldn't turn back. Seas of 24 feet slowed their progress, but the fireboat rode them well. It took the crew a while, though, to get their sea legs. As soon as they cleared the northern tip of Washington and were out in the ocean, they pointed the boat south and hung on. Hardy monitored the gauges constantly. He had to be ready for anything.

The boat's water supply quickly turned to mud, and they had not brought much bottled water. Coffee was out of the question, and the sodas soon lost their appeal. While the storm did clear as expected, some electrical problems sent sparks flying and necessitated shutting down one engine until a belt could be replaced. Then hydraulic fluid started coming out of the steering system, and it had to be shut down. As the pilot steered the boat using the engines only, Hardy was able to repair a broken flange. At another point Guardian lost one of her two generators. Fortunately, the fuel system performed flawlessly.

Next stop was Eureka where the crew checked the fuel level, bought bottled water, and walked on dry ground. Citizens were startled to see a fireboat from Vancouver in their harbor. The crew sprayed a little water before they left, partly to amuse the locals and partly to make sure the pumps and monitors were in order before they entered the Bay to meet Phoenix. Then they set out on their final run for home. Following seas pushed the boat along at about 15 knots, and they surfed down the waves to San Francisco. One of the most exciting and emotional moments was seeing the Phoenix coming out to meet them with a beautiful water display. Guardian answered in kind. The crew was happy and relieved to be home, and the City gave them a hero's welcome.

At the time of her arrival, Guardian was known only as "Fireboat #2", her Vancouver name. At the request of the donors, her new name was chosen by the grade school children of San Francisco. Christopher Smith, age 6, of St. Cecilia's school submitted the winning name. Unknown to the judges, Christopher's father was a SF firefighter.

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