Thanks to a generous grant from the Hind Foundation, the conservation, and stabilization of the historic vessel Alma is under way.
The Alma is an important part of California’s maritime history and we are very fortunate to be able restore her for future display in Morro Bay. Consultation with experts indicates that the Alma is eligible for listing on the US Department of Interior's National Register of Historic Places.
Built at San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf in 1927, the Alma gained notoriety on the morning of December 23, 1941, when under the command of the late Merle Molinari of Cayucos, she headed north toward Piedras Blancas and rescued crewmembers of the Union Oil Tanker Montebello which had been torpedoed and sunk earlier that morning by a Japanese Submarine. After the Montebello incident, the Alma assisted the war effort by patrolling local waters and towing targets for the military. In the post-war years, the Alma worked the waters of Estero Bay as a harbor tug and became an iconic figure of the working Morro Bay waterfront.
A 46’ tug, Alma is a surviving example of a "gas boat," utilitarian workboat common to California harbors in the early 20th century.
The work currently underway will replace and repair decks, bulwarks, wheelhouse exterior and some interior structural members. Future work will repair cracks in the ferro cement hull coating, paint exterior, fabricate display cradle, create interpretive signage, move the vessel to a display location.
The costs for the project have been reduced by generous donations of time and effort from local volunteers and businesses. If you are interested in supporting the effort to restore the Alma please contact us.
