Just before noon on Monday, someone near Fisherman's Wharf spotted a man's body floating in the water under the wooden wheel of the historic Eureka ferry parked at the Hyde Street Pier.

The body has not yet been identified. According to S.F. Fire Department spokeswoman Mindy Talmadge, it was pulled from the water by responders in a city boat about 20 minutes later. The cause of death is still unknown, pending an autopsy.

There have been several recent cases of bodies turning up around San Francisco's waterfront: In March, a body that washed up on Ocean Beach was later ID'ed as 30-year-old night swimmer Alex Peer. In February a body washed up near Pier 48 by McCovey Cove and in April, S.F. Sheriff's deputy Michael Roberts was found dead near a Vallejo marina.

The Eureka is one of several historic ships docked around Fisherman's Wharf. It was previously used to ferry trains and commuters to around the bay until it ended up as a museum piece at the Hyde Street Pier Maritime National Historical Park.

[Chron]