History
Vancouver Fireboat No. 2 - Guardian's Early Days
Guardian, known only as Vancouver Fireboat No. 2 before she came to San Francisco, served the city of Vancouver, B.C. from her christening in 1951, until her retirement in 1989. She had been declared surplus and was in the hands of a salvage dealer waiting to be dismantled and sold for scrap. FIreboat No.2 was notably there to assist after the collapse of the Second Narrows Bridge at Burrard Inlet, and various waterfront fires over the years.
Fireboat No. 2 Moves to San Francisco
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 Fireboat No. 1, 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 has 5 pumps which can deliver up to 26,000 gallons of water per minute, significantly more than Phoenix, making it one of the most powerful water pumping fireboats in the world.
Three pilots from the San Francisco Bar Pilots Association volunteered to crew the boat on its 1,200 mile journey from Vancouver to San Francisco. 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. On their final leg of the tour, 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 Phoenix coming out under the Golden Gate bridge 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 still “Fireboat No. 2”, her Vancouver name. Her donors requested that 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.
Guardian's Service to
San Francisco
San Francisco
San Francisco’s waterfront is owned by the State of California and controlled and administered by the San Francisco Port Authority. San Francisco Fire Department provides fire protection for the Port of San Francisco. Guardian was owned by the City and County of San Francisco, placed into reserve status by SFFD, at the ready for the needs of the San Francisco community. She and Phoenix served as the city's first line of defense along the waterfront until the State purchased Fireboat No. 3 the St. Francis, in 2016.
Beginning in 2016 Guardian underwent a substantial yard period to ensure she would remain in good working order for years to come. She was meticulously cared for, throughout her time with SFFD, by the dedicated marine engineers of Station 35, located at Pier 22 1/2, beneath the Bay Bridge, on the Embarcadero. She remained in reserve status until 2022, when the City of San Francisco determined it was time for her to officially retire.
Guardian's Next Chapter
The City of San Francisco put Guardian up for auction in late 2022. While there was great interest in her future throughout the Bay Area, it was a group of friends, comprised of current and former fire fighters, mariners, business people, and history buffs who ultimatly placed the winning bid. Save Our Ships San Francisco, a 501(c)3, was formed in order to keep Guardian alive and well on San Francisco Bay, pivoting her service to the public enjoyment of her uniqueness.
We've got big plans for this old girl, including keeping her monitors fully functional, so we can provide the Bay with water displays for celebrations and special events.
Plans for Guardian include:
Providing free rides to the public, especially children and those who otherwise lack access to the water
Making celebratory appearances on the Bay for various events
Becoming the sole Type 1 Fireboat Training Facility on the West Coast for firefighters and mariners
Acting as a floating maritime and fire service history museum – in partnership with th Guardians of the CIty Museum in San Francisco
A venue for dockside celebrations and memorials for First Responders and their families
A standby vessel to help Bay Area waterfront communities, should the next "big one" ever strike the area.
Please consider donating to help bring Guardian back to the beauty we all know she can be.