Nostalgia & History > NWP's Sausalito Car Float Slip+SP's Car Float

While searching on the Navy car floats that were operated in San Francisco Bay using the NWP's freight slip during 1945, I came across this SP Bulletin article on the wartime construction of the freight slip at Sausalito, built to facilitate speedy shipments and high-wide loads to the shipyard at Marinship which spanned the bayfront from Pine to Waldo, both freshly abandoned NWP commuter stations. 

The slip was built for $100K in winter 1944. Put into service March 15 of that year. The apron was sourced from the disused SP freight slip at Mission Bay. The article mention a ballast deck. I guess that would be on the apron? 

Here's the link to the Bulletin article: 
https://archive.org/details/cscrm_002189/cscrm_002189_access 
  



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/04/25 11:19 by phthithu.

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Here's three aerials from Google Earth showing 1931 at top with the NWP electric interurban ferry-train terminal, 1946 in the middle with just the freight slip and a small yard in the area of the platforms, and then 1973. Not captured here is the SP ferry, Berkeley, which spent many years--not sure how many--berthed at the freight slip while being used as office and retail space.  



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/04/25 11:11 by phthithu.

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Today the Sausalito's ferry terminal is located on the site of the NWP's freight slip. Some of the concrete bulkhead which I believe held an apron for one of the ferry slips from the train-ferry terminal remains to the south of the freight slip area. Also below, two photos from the testing of the new slip in 1944, courtesy of the Sausalito Historical Society. Submarine net in the background looks like.  



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/04/25 10:29 by phthithu.

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What was the second slip for? Just to tie up an extra ferry? Doesn't seem to have rail access.

Many of you are probably wondering where was the SP's Mission Bay slip and why aren't there any photos of it and how often was car float barge no. 1 used there and why aren't there any photos of it? I wonder the exact same thing and perhaps one day someone will post a shot of that slip in use. Right now the only answers are the easiest one: location. The slip was located at the foot of 16th Street. The site today is buried under Chase Center arena. 

1938: slip in situ
1993: slip gone and site covered with Santa Fe's China Basin yard
2024: Chase Center arena situated on the slip site 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/04/25 10:58 by phthithu.

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Very interesting and informative post. Thank you for the effort. Bill WEebb

Interesting in many ways. The NWP steam crane at work, also the Mission Bay Third St overpass makes a lot more sense in the overhead view.
Lots to see, t4p.

CPR_4000 Wrote:
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> What was the second slip for? Just to tie up an
> extra ferry? Doesn't seem to have rail access.

That 1931 aerial with the two slips was when there was a rail-ferry terminal on the site. So there were two passenger slips, one of them handling autoferries, as well. The ferry-train commute service was abandoned in 1941 and I believe the slips were removed. Then they built the freight slip--I think from scratch--in 1945. 

There was a narrow gauge car float slip at Sausalito up until the 1910 vicinity.  

Regarding the car-ferry service that was Highway 101 before the Golden Gate Bridge was built - was this the nothern terminal for it?

ctjacks Wrote:
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> Regarding the car-ferry service that was Highway
> 101 before the Golden Gate Bridge was built - was
> this the nothern terminal for it?

That's right. Auto-ferry was the term back then whereas "car ferry" referred to railroad car transport. The NWP operated autoferries and Southern Pacific Golden Gate Ferries had a terminal south of the NWP.