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FROM the ARCHIVES Ing for Him at the by Hank Laney, Curator Port Was the USS Houston Which FDR Visits Port of Oakland He Would Board to Review the Fleet

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FROM the ARCHIVES Ing for Him at the by Hank Laney, Curator Port Was the USS Houston Which FDR Visits Port of Oakland He Would Board to Review the Fleet waterfront. Wait- FROM THE ARCHIVES ing for him at the By Hank Laney, Curator Port was the USS Houston which FDR Visits Port of Oakland he would board to review the fleet. It Few people know about the Presi- was most impres- dent’s historic visit to the Bay Area on July 14, 1938, and his sive and had been boarding the cruiser USS Houston at Oakland for a review of gathering in the the US Battle Fleet in the San Francisco Bay. Bay for hours. All shipping traffic Navy Band playing as FDR arrives After arriving in Crockett by train, FDR joined a 25-car was halted and fer- cavalcade that traveled rapidly through Vallejo, San Rafael, ry routes changed. The ships, consisting of 8 battleships, 9 and on to San Fran- heavy cruisers, 35 destroyers, 5 light cruisers, 7 submarines, cisco. His only stop and 1 carrier with 5 auxiliary vessels, stretched in four rows at this point was from the Bay Bridge to Hunter’s Point. at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard. As As the President boarded the USS Houston, more than 30 the President’s car ships boomed a simultaneous 21-gun salute. The cruiser crossed the Golden then left the dock Gate Bridge a huge for a two-hour re- “welcome” banner view. Individual hung from the south salutes were given tower. There was a as the Houston daylight fireworks passed among display and a 21- the rows of ships gun salute from the in review. An- FDR crosses Golden Gate Bridge into SF Presidio. other mass salute marked the Presi- Tens of thousands waited along the parade route down Van dent’s departure FDR arriving at gangway to USS Houston Ness Avenue, while another 50,000 cheered the President in from the Houston. his bunting-draped car when he arrived at the Civic Center. In all, 672 guns were fired for multiple salutes such as never The crowd’s enthusiasm was marked by banners, cheers and heard before in the Bay Area. yells, and all along the route FDR responded with his famous grin and a great deal of exuberant hat waving. Some 1,000 At 10 PM, the President left the cruiser and went by car to luncheon guests awaited his arrival on Treasure Island. Since the Oakland Mole where his train was waiting. He traveled his motorcade was running late, the Secret Service agents or- that night to Yosemite, touring the park the next day. Leav- dered that lunch not be served until the President was seated. ing Yosemite, the President traveled by train to San Diego At the luncheon, the President gave a broadcast speech that where the USS Houston was waiting to take him through the emphasized his hope for a permanent international peace, Panama Canal. and a reduction in world armament. “We stand to meet them,” he said, “and encourage them in any efforts they may I first learned about this visit when I came across an un- make toward a definite reduction in world armament.” As marked envelope in our archives containing a number of he appealed for world armament reduction, the President dated snapshots of his arrival at Oakland. Some notes on promised that the Mare Island Navy Yard would have a $20 the back of the photos indicated that they were of FDR’s million cruiser contract. At the same time, FDR pointed out arrival at the USS Houston. I had not heard of this before. that the US outlay for armaments was still far less than those Intrigued, I went to the library and printed microfiche copies of other powers. of the Bay Area newspapers for that day. The coverage was spectacular and told the whole story. Not only was the visit He then traveled to the Port of Oakland, where 2,000 Boy historic for the Port of Oakland, but how would the President Scouts lined the route along Maritime Street and the Oakland have known it would eventually be the home for his beloved USS Potomac. Neither we, nor any nation, will accept disarmament while neighbor nations arm to the teeth. Additional photos, http://www.usspotomac.org/contact/FDROaksPic.htm Franklin D. Roosevelt (Radio Address, October 26, 1938) -4-.
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