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Description
The SS Ahwahnee was the last large passenger steamship built in California, and the last of the "superliners" that dominated passenger traffic across the oceans prior to the rise of the airplane. The construction of the Ahwahnee was only truly possible for its time through government subsidies to transportation companies as part of President Anzures' Fair Deal programs. As a result, the Ahwahnee and her sister ship Wawona became a reality, sailing primarily on the Europe to California circuit through Panama until the outbreak of World War II and a brief fear of Soviet submarines in the Atlantic halted most ship traffic, during which time the Ahwahnee's operations were reduced significantly until it could start its course back toward Europe in the Spring of 1940. And then again, it was brought out of service when the Attack on San Francisco in 1941 brought California into war with Japan and later the Soviets, in which time it was requisitioned as a troop transport and hospital ship. There were three notable events during this time. The first was when the ship was torpedoed by a Japanese plane during the Liberation of Hawaii, taking it out of commission for three months while it was repaired. The second was when the ship sighted a Japanese submarine and attempted to ram it, where its propellors sliced through the submarine's hull and sank it. The third was in the aftermath of the sinking of the CRS Hiram Johnson, when the ship rescued 700 men from the ocean after the ship was sunk during the Battle of Leyte Gulf.

After the war, demand for passenger service had dried up, and the ship became increasingly unprofitable year after year. In 1956, the ship was refitted for a new purpose: luxury cruises, traveling a route from San Francisco to Hong Kong via Honolulu and Tokyo, made somewhat risky by the presence of an unfriendly and hostile regime in China but which extended the ship's life by another 10 years. When new purpose-built cruse ships began to replace its function, it was finally retired from service in 1967, sailed to San Francisco and permanently moored at Pier 37. Extensive renovations turned it into a new combination museum and hotel ship, which it remains to this day. Since then, the most notable event was during the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake, when the earthquake damaged the corroded metal welding holding it to the dock and it began to drift into the bay, though it was quickly returned and re-welded in place. During a second bout of extensive renovations in 2003, the ship's funnels needed to be replaced entirely after it was found that they were essentially held together only by 23 layers of paint they had collected over the years, along with multiple leaks in its hull, leading to multi-million dollar renovations. Today, the ship us still one of the most easily-recognized parts of the San Francisco Waterfront, a symbol of a bygone era.

Description
The SS Ahwahnee was the last large passenger steamship built in California, and the last of the "superliners" that dominated passenger traffic across the oceans prior to the rise of the airplane. The construction of the Ahwahnee was only truly possible for its time through government subsidies to transportation companies as part of President Anzures' Fair Deal programs. As a result, the Ahwahnee and her sister ship Wawona became a reality, sailing primarily on the Europe to California circuit through Panama until the outbreak of World War II and a brief fear of Soviet submarines in the Atlantic halted most ship traffic, during which time the Ahwahnee's operations were reduced significantly until it could start its course back toward Europe in the Spring of 1940. And then again, it was brought out of service when the Attack on San Francisco in 1941 brought California into war with Japan and later the Soviets, in which time it was requisitioned as a troop transport and hospital ship. There were three notable events during this time. The first was when the ship was torpedoed by a Japanese plane during the Liberation of Hawaii, taking it out of commission for three months while it was repaired. The second was when the ship sighted a Japanese submarine and attempted to ram it, where its propellors sliced through the submarine's hull and sank it. The third was in the aftermath of the sinking of the CRS Hiram Johnson, when the ship rescued 700 men from the ocean after the ship was sunk during the Battle of Leyte Gulf.

After the war, demand for passenger service had dried up, and the ship became increasingly unprofitable year after year. In 1956, the ship was refitted for a new purpose: luxury cruises, traveling a route from San Francisco to Hong Kong via Honolulu and Tokyo, made somewhat risky by the presence of an unfriendly and hostile regime in China but which extended the ship's life by another 10 years. When new purpose-built cruse ships began to replace its function, it was finally retired from service in 1967, sailed to San Francisco and permanently moored at Pier 37. Extensive renovations turned it into a new combination museum and hotel ship, which it remains to this day. Since then, the most notable event was during the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake, when the earthquake damaged the corroded metal welding holding it to the dock and it began to drift into the bay, though it was quickly returned and re-welded in place. During a second bout of extensive renovations in 2003, the ship's funnels needed to be replaced entirely after it was found that they were essentially held together only by 23 layers of paint they had collected over the years, along with multiple leaks in its hull, leading to multi-million dollar renovations. Today, the ship us still one of the most easily-recognized parts of the San Francisco Waterfront, a symbol of a bygone era.