SS Jeremiah O’Brien

Great fun, great look back at history, great music and food, great view spot anchored out for Blue Angel Show. Highly recommended!

Had so much fun with the Cub Scout pack on an overnighter here. The staff was super friendly and the boys learned a lot about the ship. :D

Took my kids here and was lucky enough to show up on a day when they were running the engines. I think they run them one day a month and on that day they let you go down and tour the engine room where the volunteers are fine tuning the machinery. It was impressive to say the least and the volunteers were more than happy to answer all our questions. They also have an amazing model of Normandy that was a great tool for helping educate our kids on WWII.

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«We had a wonderful day cruising SF Bay on the SS Jeremiah O’Brien…what a great ship! The docent crew and governing committee do an excellent job of keeping the ship looking good and keeping it safe for visitors… no easy task in a salty environment. The crew was super friendly and seemed very happy to be there with us. People in small boats waved at us all through the cruise. We also loved touring the ship to see what it looked like in its prime. It was a great day! We strongly recommend this for a fun family day!
Diane and Bob Douglass Fremont, CA »

Great for visiting dockside and even better for going out on the bay for a day cruise! A piece of World War II history alive today for your pleasure and education. It is officially the National Liberty Ship Memorial SS JEREMIAH O’BRIEN. If you can, read about her online prior to scaling the accommodation ladder — the flight of steps from the pier to the main deck. The primary website is
but additional information may be found elsewhere. The ship store has books, mementos, and clothing items. Did you know there is an anthem for our United States Merchant Marine, Heave Ho My Lads Heave Ho, and an informative website pertaining to the civilians and military who served aboard liberty ships, victory ships, tankers, and other support vessels that were a key to winning the war,

Our entire day on the ship was great. We love the quality food and beverage along with it’s it’s for dessert. The work the volunteers have done with the ship and historical displays is amazing. They all get a virtual pat on the back from both of us. Firing the guns and touring the bay will be a lifetime memory for both of us. Thank you very much!

Went on the lighthouse cruise in July. A nice sail under the Golden Gate Bridge and around the bay. They had donuts for breakfast, hot dogs for lunch, and it’s it ice cream sandwiches for dessert (and all you can eat.). One of the cargo holds is a museum and you can tour the engine room during the sail! Crew and volunteers were friendly as well.

I’ve got a pretty good reason to love this ship… I was married there!
It was an unconventional venue, for sure, but the SS O’Brien staff (Kyle Day in particular) couldn’t have been more helpful in making it happen. We had our ceremony on deck right before sunset, and our reception in the #2 cargo hold below. And the cannon turret is SO much fun — the photos produced lots of «shotgun wedding» jokes.
Ideal for veterans, history buffs, and anyone looking for an «adult jungle gym» to climb on.
I don’t recommend this venue for young children unless they are very closely supervised. (We didn’t allow children at our wedding for this reason.) The entire ship is metal, with steep narrow staircases. Also, wear comfortable shoes when aboard.

Touring this boat is an AMAZING experience! And it really makes you think about the sacrifices our soldiers made during WW II. It’s a wonderful experience any day, and should not be missed.
And being on it when the engines are running and touring the engine room then is fabulous — it only cruises a couple of times a year — that’s the only time you are guaranteed that the engines will be running.
But it’s a don’t-miss any day of the year! It should be a lot better known than it is as a San Francisco experience.

My grandfather is one of the volunteers on the ship, and when it came time to decide upon a venue for my wedding, the O’Brien was a no brainer. Our ceremony was held on deck with the backdrop of the City and the Bay, and the reception was in Cargo Hold #2. Our guests enjoyed scenic San Francisco views and spent the cocktail reception exploring the ship and learning about WWII history in the museum. The staff and ship volunteers helped set up and were a great help. I could not have dreamed of a more beautiful wedding on such a unique and historic setting.

I started taking my sons to the Jeremiah Obrien when they were both quite small. What better fun is there than climbing around and exploring an x-​military vessel? My older son, now a student at the CSU Maritime Academy, now volunteers on the ship when he has time. The docents are so knowledgeable and all ways ready to answer any question, or tell a story! Great experience for the whole family — be advised there is a steep gang way to get on & steep stairs aboard!

Always a fun time visiting the Jeremiah O’Brien. I especially like going to the Brew on the Bay event every fall!

My Mom and I loved the experience. and it wasn’t until after the trip that I found out my dear Uncle Gil came home from the war in Europe on this ship!

We celebrated 4^th of July on SS Jeremiah and plan on making it our family tradition! We LOVED our experience. Thank you to all of the volunteers!

The SS Jeremiah O’Brien is a must see historic attraction when visiting San Francisco. Climbing down the rungs to the engine room where the Titanic was filmed is an adventure in itself. That’s only a fraction of what there is to enjoy aboard this WWII Liberty Ship. It’s a self-​guided tour so you get to explore like an adventurer. Stories unfold with the push of a button throughout the journey and knowledgeable volunteers love to chat with you. I’ve been aboard a few times and it’s a joy to watch kids in utter amazement every step of the way.

As an old sailer there is nothing like a cruise on the SS Jeremiah O’Brien. The crew is friendly and helpful people that seem to be enjoying the day. On all of the cruises I have been on, there has been a nice selection of breakfast pastries, coffee, and orange juice to start the cruise. Lunch is served from real hot dog stands. The hot dogs are like hot dogs I remember from childhood from a real meat store. A couple of cruises have had live music. I forget the full name of the band but there called themselves the Sewer Band for short. Their music is wonderful. Seating is provided but a couple of times we have brought bag chairs that are a bit more comfortable.
On July 4 the SS Jeremiah O’Brien is an excellent place to watch the fireworks.
Now for the negatives, parking $ 36-​$ 40 per day, maybe more depending on where you park; location, I wish the City of San Francisco would do something to clean up this part of Fishermen’s Wharf. If I were a tourist, I would think twice about returning to San Francisco after walking through this place.

The engine room is pretty cool and large. The quarters are interesting to look at. I would not go again though.

Schwimmendes Museum mitten im Touristengebiet. Kein Kriegsschiff, sondern ein Frachter, der während des Krieges gebaut wurde, um US-​Waren nach Europa zu schippern, Es gab tausende davon. Dieses ist einer des wenigen, die noch existieren. Es kann noch aus eigener Kraft fahren und hatte natürlich Filmauftritte. Sehr beeindruckende Geschichtsstunde im Maßstab 1:1, mit Infotafeln und Ausstellung im Inneren.
Man kann das ganze Schiff bis hin zum Maschinenraum erkunden und bekommt einen tollen Einblick in die damalige Zeit. Angesichts der Bedrohung durch U Boote damals sind die kleinen Flak-​Geschütze auf dem Deck eher symbolisch zu sehen.
Wenn man durch die turnhallengroßen Frachträume schreitet, kann man ermessen, welche Unmengen von Gütern damals von den USA aus nach Großbritannien und Frankreich und später auch als Hilslieferungen nach Deutschland verschifft wurden.

SO COOL!
Seriously. I wasn’t planning on visiting this ship (honestly didn’t even know it excited) but my mom and were walking through Fisherman’s Wharf and stumbled upon it. I was wooed by it’s majestic, historical beauty and had to do the tour. I’m a huge history nerd, particularly WW2, so I was excited by the prospect of checking it out and doing some investigating. Definitely worth the $ 12 entry fee.
The «tour» is self guided. Basically you just walk around with some literature they give you and explore on your own. There is very little here that is off limits so it’s really about how much time you want to spend and how high you want to go (lots of ladders to climb!). There are crew cabins, captain’s quarters, kitchens, dining areas, sick bays, etc etc to check out. All small but packed with artifacts from the time period. The engine room is also a sight to see. FUN FACT! Apparently the filmed scenes from Titanic in there as well!
The «crew «are SO friendly and very eager and willing to answer any questions you may have. I’m not sure if everyone gets this but when we were walking off a very lovely volunteer gave us each a sizable book that touched on some of the history of the ship. Pretty darn generous and very very rad.

I wondered about this ship for several years before I finally got around to going! It just sits there at Fisherman’s Wharf and tries to lure you over with it’s overall impressiveness. My boyfriend told me somewhere in the region of 10 times that his grandfather used to live on the boat. So I mean, he had a special connection to it already! When I noticed a Google Offer pop up for admission to none other than the Jeremiah O’Brien, I was all over it.
So basically you walk inside the ship and explore at your leisure. There are still some people who live on it (or so it appears) although I’m not sure exactly what they do there. The day we went they had the boilers going and it was HOT down there. Really cool to see though, it reminded me of that scene in Titanic where they’re running through all the workers shoveling coal. You can climb upstairs to the top deck and sit behind the guns, and you can stroll from bow to stern (see I know nautical terms!) One of the coolest parts was the «museum» where you can see the evolution of ships over the past several centuries. The main takeaway from that is ships are now freakin HUGE.
Anyway, I would definitely recommend a trip here — it’s not just a tourist thing, it’s fun for locals too. And did you know there’s a arcade museum/​graveyard right next door? Yeah…

During my random trip to San Francisco during Fourth of July, I had stopped by Fisherman’s Wharf. On my walking adventure, there were different exhibits throughout marina. I saw on ship that caught my attention. A volunteer ship that helped during World War II called me. This ship’s name is the SS Jeremiah O’Brien.
The SS Jeremiah O’Brien is located at Pier 45. It is not too far from where I ate clam chowder at Sabella and Latorre. Admission price to SS Jeremiah O’Brien is $ 12. Most of the people who work on the ship are volunteers and I suggest you give them a lot of compliments because they do a hard work to keep the ship looking good and more importantly, working.
When you board the ship, you are entering becoming part of history. A ship that remains active and helped decide World War II. You will see volunteers paint the ship and even cooking in the mess hall. On the day I was there, there were was a school of cadets on board. I felt like going back to the Maritime Academy re-​doing it over again just board classic ships like the SS Jeremiah O’Brien.
You can go all levels of the ship from the engine room to the bridge of the ship. You can man the multiple guns or check out the living quarters. The interesting views are definitely from the guns. It will require some climbing ladders. Just take your time going up and down. Sometimes, the guests won’t read which ladders to go up or down. Usually, there are two sets just the opposit of each other. There are volunteers and retirees throughout the ship to help you navigate around the SS Jeremiah O’Brien if you get lost. Its a big ship, but in 15 – 20 minutes you’ll know your way around.
The one main area that caught my attention was the Engine Room. Apparently, it was used in the movie, Titanic. As I mentioned, this is an active ship and could be used in an emergency. In the movie, Titanic, there is a big engine room that starts moving when it departs and hits full-​speed. In fact, its just SS Jeremiah O’Brien’s engine room amplified to look huge. Amazing that SS Jeremiah O’Brien is still making history.
Its amazing to see ships still active and not just put in a museum and not put to use. This is probably why I chose this ship versus the other exhibits. I volunteer a lot, but who knows, I might get called to help the SS Jeremiah O’Brien on its next journey.
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