By Guy Span

Quite possibly, the historic ferry Kalakala is headed for San Francisco. And that then raises the question of what can be done with her? Obviously a place in the Bay is needed, but that then raises the issue of whether or not the BCDC will allow her a place or declare her as "fill."

This reporter examined the BCDC rules and decided that on the face of it, the Kalakala has extremely limited permitted uses. For the historic vessel exemption, she had to be built before 1932 AND she had to have participated in significant event(s) in the history of San Francisco Bay. Under this qualification, the Kalakala could be used for anything. The second qualification is essentially as a museum ship, such as the aircraft carrier Hornet (in Alameda), where it can only charge admission fees and not engage in other commercial activities.

History suddenly becomes an important commercial factor. And on the face of it, the 1935 Kalakala, serving its life in Seattle, fails to qualify. But does it? Digging deeper into the past, we find that the Kalakala started its life as the Peralta, of Key System fame. It was one of two (Yerba Buena was the other) ferries built for and used on San Francisco Bay in 1926, well inside the deadline. Interestingly enough, these were among the first double-ended ferries to be built of identical halves–that is, the rear section directly mirrored the front section, a significant contribution to marine architecture.

But the significance continues… Both the Peralta and the Yerba Buena were the last two steam-powered ferries built for service on San Francisco Bay. Then on February 17, 1928, the Peralta was involved in the worst loss of life in a ferry boat accident on San Francisco Bay (is this getting significant, yet?). The Peralta was headed home to Oakland with a load of commuters, when suddenly, while nearing the Key System Mole, the bow ducked under water, washing some thirty commuters overboard. Tragically, five were killed.

Analysis of the accident reveals that both vessels were equipped with ballast tanks, designed to keep the hull level when commuters surged toward the bow on arrival. The idea was that the forward tank remained always empty, allowing the vessel to keep trim. In this case, it appears, although it was not proven, that the forward tank was accidentally left full, so when the commuters moved toward the bow, their weight caused the bow to dip into the Bay. Whether or not this was the cause, the Key system discontinued use of the tanks, keeping them both empty. The problem was not repeated.

Then on May 6, 1933, the Key System’s Oakland Mole caught fire. The Peralta was tied up with no steam built up to allow her to escape. Employees rescued the day’s receipts and cut the lines, but the feckless Peralta did not drift far enough to avoid burning to the waterline. The hulk was then sold to Puget Sound’s Black Ball Line and Phoenix-like returned as the Kalakala.