Cali: Benicia to Mare Island- A Road Trip Adventure

Continuing our road trip across the country. Now in California, after leaving Florida “a while ago.”

Early Morning: Benicia, CA

Benicia is a smallish city (population 27,131 in 2000) a commute distance northeast of San Francisco. Of more importance, it is only 30 minutes away from Napa!

Trivia: Benicia served as the capital of California for nearly thirteen months from 1853 to 1854.

An early morning wander downtown:

Some of the poles three older guys had out. They sat back in comfortable chairs, watching over the lines, solving the world’s problems, and greeting passersby.

Across town, past the refineries that border Benicia…

…is the entrance to the former Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet. This was the site of a mothball fleet, numbering over 300 ships in the 1950s. It included the battleship USS Iowa, the experimental stealth Sea Shadow, and the CIA’s infamous Glomar Explorer. The site was officially closed in 2017 and only 7 ships remain.

Mare Island, CA

Mare Island is actually a peninsula 23 miles northeast of San Francisco. It is the home of the Mare Island Naval Yard, first opened in 1852. The site grew to a huge shipyard, the largest on the West Coast. Over 50,000 workers were employed there during World War II. The base gradually declined and in 1988 only employed 10,000 workers. In its later years it served as a training location for Security Management and Security Force Operations, including F.A.S.T. (Fleet Anti-Terrorism Team), Security Guards, and Security Force Reaction Forces.

In 1993, Congress approved the closure of the base. There were only 5380 workers at that time. Since its closure, portions of the base have been repurposed into housing, retail, recreational, and business ventures. The Park Service has a presence there as well as other government entities.

Large portions of the base remain abandoned, slowly moldering away.

Mermaid. This is one of many art pieces along a repurposed pier. The pier features a restaurant, glass blowing gallery, gym, and several old ships on display.

Lots of large buildings scattered along the pier, some in use, some not.

Many of the buildings featured lots of windows, important before the development of the high-tech lighting available today.

Railroad and crane tracks crisscross the pier.

Several old ships are temporarily docked while their permanent ports in other parts of the country are rebuilt.

Park Service employees were moving lumber onboard, the old fashioned way, an old sailing ship.

The Eppleton Hall, an old tugboat, has already ended its temporary stay.

In one corner of the huge shipyard, hidden away down a winding, unmarked, single-lane road is a large, very old Naval cemetary.

The map in the signboard shows each grave. Burials began in 1856 and continued until 1921, with over 900 buried. It is the Bay Area’s oldest Naval cemetery. This is the final resting place of sailors, soldiers, and loved ones. Also buried here are the daughter of Francis Scott Key, six Russian sailors from the Civil War era– and one convicted killer.

To the right: Wilhelm Pope. Born in Hanover, Germany in 1842. Died on the U.S.S Rancer (?), July 19, 1884. Erected by his shipmates.
He was the same age, 42, as James Leonard, buried next to him, who also died in 1884.

“In memory of William Francis Hill C.C.M. who lost his life in the line of duty, Dec. 11, 1913.”
“Erected by his shipmates of the U.S.S. Paducah.”

Nope, not going there!!

Entrance to the Reserve Fleet. “Rumor has it,” guys with big guns still guard the area.

Mare Island: Oh look, a tunnel!!! Lets go down it.

‘Think maybe it is blocked for a reason?

The yellow and black sign says it was/ is “Munitions Response Area. No entry without escort.” It LOOKS closed… but is it?

August 23, 2025

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Cali: Benicia to Mare Island- A Road Trip Adventure

Early Morning: Benicia, CA