Kneass Boat Works

Kneass Boat Works was a shipbuilding company in San Francisco, California. To support the World War 2 demand for ships, Kneass Boat Works built: US Navy Sub chasers, US Army barges and tugboats. Kneass Boat Works was started by California native George Washington Kneass (1859–1923) in 1868, at 22 Mission Street, San Francisco. George Kneass started as an apprentice to boat builder Martin Vice. The two became partners operating a shipyard at Pier 70 at 671 Illinois Street, San Francisco. Business was good and in 1898 Kneass opened a second shipyard at 718 3rd Street, San Francisco. At its peak, Kneass employed 50 workers. George Kneass died in 1923 and his two sons, George Jr. and Webster, took over the shipyard. Kneass built small boats, launches, rowboats, barges, lifeboats), sailboats, and a few wooden cruisers. For World War 2, in 1941 the company built a small emergency shipyard. The shipyard closed in 1970, but the site is now the art studio of Ruth Kneass; she kept the boatyard name for her studio.

Honors The United States Government awarded Webster Lincoln Kneass a certificate of Outstanding Service to the Country for both its WWI and WWII efforts in 1945. Kneass Boat Works built over 5000 watercrafts for World War 1 and World War 2. Many of the watercraft were lifeboats and patrol boats. but some 150-foot minesweepers were also built. The U.S. Navy still uses a lifeboat that was designed by George Kneass.

Submarine chaser Kneass Boat Works built submarine chasers that were of the design that had a displacement of 94 tons with a length of , a beam of , a draft of , a top speed of . They had a crew of 28. Power was provided by two General Motors, Electro-Motive Division, 16-184A diesel engines, and two propellers. They were armed with one Bofors 40 mm gun, two Browning M2 .50 cal. machine guns, two depth charge projector "Y guns", and two depth charge tracks.NavSource Submarine Chaser, SC-723

Notable ships Notable ships include: an 1898 70-foot survey ship. Three Adjutant-class minesweepers. Quic Chakidn 1921 38-foot cruisers built for owner of Sierra Nevada Wood & Lumber Company, Walter Hobert Jr. for his Lake Tahoe home. The Pacific an 18-foot Kneass schooner was sailed in 1882 by Bernard Gilboy from San Francisco across the Pacific to Queensland, Australia.A Voyage of Pleasure, the Log of Bernard Gilboy’s Transpacific Cruise in the Boat “Pacific 1 ’ 1882-1883, page 5, 16, 63 Amy K IV 32-foot 1940 Yacht, was owned by the Terazas family. Merciqme Yacht was owned by Judy and Avery Blake, commodore of the Northern California Classic Yacht Association. Siren 34-foot 1939 Yacht, owned by Alan Bowerman. Marlin 46-foot 1928 Yacht, owned by Thomas Bottenberg of Vintage Yacht Partners Two patrol boats for Peru Navy in 1918, the El Captain I and El Captain 2.MotorBoating, May 1918, Page 46 M 857 Hr.Ms. Boxtel 1954 114-foot Royal Netherlands Navy Beemster Class minesweeper, scrapped in 1976Hr. Ms. Boxtel, M 857, Volume 3 of Historisch overzicht, ISSN 0924-0535, by Everhardus Maria Meijs, Publisher Heemkundige Studiekring voor Boxtel en Omstreken, 1984 M 855 Hr.Ms. Breskens 1954 114-foot Royal Netherlands Navy Beemster Class minesweeper, renamed Kalbarrie then Pax USS Nasomee (YTB-260), US Navy Tugboat, Cahto-class district harbor tug.NavSource

Ships Ship ID Name Owner Type Tons Year built Notes na US C&GS Survey Vessel 1898 Retired in 1917 216035 Mary Francis Fishing Vessel 15 1918 Formerly Marge S, active na H. D. Geddings US Quarantine Svce Boarding Boat 1921 na Donald Currie US Quarantine Svce Boarding Boat 1921 Francesca Y. C. Demming Sloop 1922 Hummingbird C. D. Parmalee Sloop 1929 San Francisco Bird Boat #22 Active 231123 Rejoice Boy Scouts Unclassified 24 1931 Active 331852 North Star Fred Carpenter Cargo Vessel 1935 Under restoration 263739 Soupfin Fishing Vessel 11 1937 Active 260797 J V Ferrante Fishing Vessel 7 1939 Formerly Jackie Jan, active 281626 Amy K IV Recreational 12 1940 Active SC 990 US Navy Sub Chaser 136 Mar-43 Sold in 1948 SC 991 US Navy Sub Chaser 136 Apr-43 Sold in 1948 SC 992 US Navy Sub Chaser 136 Jun-43 Sold in 1948 SC 993 US Navy Sub Chaser 136 Jun-43 Sold in 1948 SC 994 US Navy Sub Chaser 136 Jul-43 Sold in 1948 YT 260 Nasomsee US Navy Tug 400 Jul-44 Renamed YTB 260, Sold in 1946 251273 Sparky Anne Recreational 26 1946 Active 502915 Sigrid Fishing Vessel 10 1946 Active 252049 Christine Fishing Vessel 9 1947 Active 256552 Nina T Fishing Vessel 9 1948 Active 259369 Flying Cloud Fishing Vessel 15 1950 Active 262499 Blue Northern Fishing Vessel 14 1951 Active 264893 Star of the Sea Fishing Vessel 14 1953 Active MSC 148 Beskens US Navy Minesweeper 390 7-Apr-54 To the Netherlands 1954 as M 855, returned 1975, Sold in to the Nizam of Hyderabad 1976 as Kalbarrie MSC 149 Boxtel US Navy Minesweeper 390 24-Jul-54 To the Netherlands 1954 as M 857, struck 1975 MSC 150 Brouwershaven US Navy Minesweeper 390 30-Oct-54 To the Netherlands 1954 as M 858, struck 1974 510669 Chichagof Recreational 17 1959 Active 523607 Charlie Tuna Fishing Vessel 26 1965 Active

See also California during World War II Maritime history of California Wooden boats of World War 2

References