Today marks the 65th anniversary of the launch of World War II liberty ship, the S.S. Jeremiah O'Brien, which is now docked at Pier 45 and houses the National Liberty Ship Memorial. The ship was constructed in 52 days in Portland, Maine, as part of a fleet of 2700 liberty ships built to carry supplies to the Allies. The Jeremiah O’Brien made eleven Normandy D-Day landings during World War II, which was very remarkable since the liberty ships were not built to last. After 33 years of storage, the ship was fully restored in the '90s and is run by volunteers and on donations. more ›

Egads! The west span of the Bay Bridge was struck this morning by a container ship, the Cosco Busan. According to the Chronicle, "Coast Guard officials said the incident was not serious enough to merit a bridge closure." Still, that looks like some serious damage. A witness on the ship claims that the Cosco struck the second tower west of Yerba Buena Island, and says the the extent of the damage isn't known. If... more ›